One God
by HeLovesMe66
Summary: At the age of six, Hiccup learned something from Astrid's cousin Gertrude (OC) and whata he learned was enough to plant the seed. Through events in his life and also sharing with others, this seed grew not only in him but also others he cared about and loved. I do not own HTTYD. First chapter is long, rest will be under 3K words.
1. One God Introduction

**Thank you for opening this story and hope you give it a chance. My story is hopefully faith based and as I get into chapters I will also give some of my testimony in the end author notes A/N. I am not an expert with Christianity and learning each day and if I seem to say something incorrect about the bible or Christian faith, please correct me and also teach me. I am a sinner and make many mistakes and with the fellowship of other Christians, we can learn together. Love to all and God Bless.**

 **This story is about the life of Hiccup and Astrid and the troubled times they go through. An OC of mine will put the seed of the Truth into Hiccup and through his curiosity he will spread what he knows to others and also do what he can to learn on his own. Astrid has always loved Hiccup but through a couple of misunderstandings they had at times some separation but life is meant to be for them, read to see how they work through things.**

 **This whole first chapter goes from six year old Hiccup to almost eighteen years old. Astrid is one year older than him and my OC, Gertrude is two years older than him and Astrid's cousin from another island. Toothless is in it and in this story Hiccup will not lose his leg, I am not ha big fan of that part but I understand it was needed in the movies. I am debating who from Berk joins them but none of the normal ones will join them the first couple chapters and maybe not at all.**

 **Again thank you for reading and also I wanted to say if anyone had prayer request, pm them to me. A community of people who pray is a strong community.**

 **1 Thessalonian 5:11 - Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.**

Six year old Hiccup was playing with his friend Astrid and also her cousin Gertrude. They were playing hide and seek and it was Astrid's turn to seek while Hiccup and Gertrude were to hide and she wanted to hide with Hiccup. Hiccup thought this was weird but he did not have many friends and thought it was nice she wanted to be with him.

Gertrude was eight, a year older than Astrid and two years older than Hiccup. Hiccup thought she was very smart and loved when she came to visit Berk. She had been here for a week now and she seemed to get closer to Hiccup and Astrid has noticed this.

Astrid was not sure if she was jealous or what she felt but she knew she did not like that her cousin took up all of her friend's time and she felt like the odd person out. Astrid finished counting to twenty and then looked for the two youngsters. She had been looking for a while now when she heard whispering behind some rocks that were partially hidden by taller bushes.

Astrid went behind the rock and she gasped when she saw Hiccup and Gertrude holding hands and looking at each other but with their eyes closed. She could not take any more and things just started to come out of her mouth "Why don't you two just kiss, get married and have babies?" she then tried to run off.

Gertrude caught up to her and what she said was taken different then what she meant. "Astrid, I was just trying to teach him about the true love of the world and not the love the Vikings believe in." Astrid was scared and hurt that her cousin was telling her best friend about love and was sure that love was from her cousin to Hiccup.

She broke away this time and Gertrude let her go and turned back to Hiccup who was not sure what was wrong. He at first thought this too but then Gertrude explained there is a love greater than what man can give to each other and how that love can be received. Hiccup was confused and right now his mind was on Astrid, the girl he knew someday would be the love of his life and he did not want to think about loving anything else even though he was not sure what any kind of love is.

 **One Week Later**

Hiccup avoided Gertrude to try and prevent from hurting Astrid anymore, but then Astrid avoided him and Gertrude so the three of them spent the past week not talking to each other. Today is the day Gertrude was leaving and Hiccup was required as the chief's son to be present so he did say his good byes and when he turned back, he saw Astrid and she was crying.

Astrid was not one to cry much but he has seen her cry a few times in the past week, especially when they saw each other and she would turn from him but with tears in her eyes. This time he did not avoid her and tried to walk towards her but she took off and ran.

Hiccup was confused because all he wanted to do was hang out with his friend and have things like they use too. He also hoped the next time Gertrude came they could all get along and play together. He loved being with both girls and just as friends since he did not know anything about all that relationship stuff his dad and mom teased him about.

Gertrude will never be coming back, two days after she left word was out that their ship was attacked and no survivors including the children. Both Astrid and Hiccup mourned for Astrid's cousin and since both were sad, this brought them closer together. They supported each other as best friends and Hiccup is not sure why but he would hold Astrid's hand and when he did, she did not cry and even smiled a couple of times.

 **Years Later**

Hiccup was now thirteen years old and Astrid fourteen, they were not as close now as they were before, instead Astrid seemed to be too busy working on her warrior skills and Hiccup was too busy messing things up and getting picked on. Astrid did not take part in the picking on Hiccup but she did nothing to defend him either.

Hiccup could never get the words from Gertrude out of his mind 'There is a love greater than the love between humans' and he did not understand it. He tried to ask his dad and he laughed at Hiccup and his mom told him some day he will understand but he felt that is what parents and other adults said when they did not know themselves the answer.

He once asked his so called friends but they were friends only because they bullied him and that caused them to be close to him physically so he considered them friends. He was more of entertainment to them or a punching object but he at least got attention he ached for. They laughed at him about his question and then beat on him.

When he asked, Astrid started to cry at the mention of her cousins name so Ruffnut kicked him for making Astrid cry, Astrid scolded her for that but did not say why just this once Astrid defended him in front of him. She then ran off but as she did she looked back at Hiccup with concern on her face.

Over the next couple of years it seemed like times when Hiccup was beat up or ridiculed in public, Snoutlout and the twins ended up with bruises the next day. Hiccup was not sure how this was happening and some days he went the whole day not being picked. Astrid still ignored him unless she had to interact with him and this was starting to hurt him more than the beatings.

 **Fifteen Years Old**

Hiccup was trying not to get killed when a raid happened; he was in the forge and heard the sound of the Night Fury. He snuck out with his trap and this time, after he shot it off he knew that he caught something and had to go find it. That night he took out his map he made of the area forest and tucked that and some food since he was going to search until he found it.

He also brought along his sword and dagger for protection. He might have been thought of as weak but really he was not, he has worked in the forge for five years now and he could handle any sword or axe with ease but he tended to not show this strength he had. He also brought with him his sketch pad in case he came across anything worth drawing.

"Where are you going" he looked over to see Astrid sitting outside her family's hut.

He looked down and kept walking but she asked again and she seemed to ask out of concern. "Promise me you will not laugh" she nodded so he continued, "I think I might have shot something down last night and I want to go and find it. If I do not come back in three days than think of me as dead." He then started to walk towards the woods but he felt two arms around him.

"Be careful please, I do not want to lose you" she then kissed him on the cheek and ran into her house.

He had all kinds of shocks going through him right now such as she did not doubt his comment, she hugged him, she kissed him and she told him she did not want to lose him. Is this that greater love he heard about?

He searched for a couple of days and came up with nothing. He stayed the first night in a shelter under some fallen trees and the second night he stayed in the spot that Gertrude and him hid and caused the issues between the three kids nine years ago.

He entered the little hole and realized how much he had grown or the hole had shrunk. He noticed something else when he was in there, a sketch in the rock done with a knife, it looked like a large plus sign or cross but he did not know why or when that was put in there. He ran his fingers over it thinking Gertrude did it but he did not notice it when they hid out.

He also notices two words below it and they said 'One God' and he had no idea what that meant. He has been told of the many gods they pray too so One God made no sense to him. He learned his lesson not to ask his parents or friends so he put this in the back of his mind.

He eventually fell asleep and the next day he was going to go out one last time and search for the dragon he hoped he hit. He was going to kill it and then bring the heart back to his dad as proof he was a Viking Warrior. He also hoped he would be accepted by everyone else too but mostly Astrid.

It was late in the afternoon and he heard a whimpering from below him. He ran down the hill and then he slipped and fell into a pit. The pit was beautiful with a small lake, many caves and room to run around. He quickly took out his map and determined this pit, or cove as he called it was off the edge of the known map he had of Berk. He marked it so he could get back here and maybe he will show this part to Astrid.

He scanned around the area and noticed behind some rocks something that looked like a long black tail stuck out. He walked over to it and saw a large black dragon and looked like it was dead. He tossed a small rock to it and the dragon did not budge. He poked it with a stick and it moaned but did not move at all.

He knew the thing was alive but he was scared because he now recognized it as the feared thought to be extinct night fury. He stepped back and then he heard the grumble of the dragon's stomach and figured if it has been tied up for three days then it was hungry. He tied his knife to a stick and he managed to spear three nice fish and brought them over to the dragon.

The dragons head was also tied up in the netting so would not be able to eat but he did not want to get too close so he took the fish and put them by the dragon and then cut a couple of the ropes of the net to free the head enough so he could eat.

When he made the net, he made it so if one or two ropes were broke; the rest would not fall apart. He was thankful because now the dragon could eat but not get away. He was worried about the fire part but had to hope the offering of food gave him some time to understand this beast.

The dragon roared at him but then remembered the fish. While he ate, Hiccup walked around him and did not seem to see any damage. The wings were not torn and the fins on the tail looked the same on both sides. Hiccup knew once he released this dragon he might get killed if he did not kill it beforehand.

He thought to himself why he even fed it if he was going to kill it; it was not like he will need the energy to die. He maybe thought it was like with prisoners and they got one last meal before they died but he also thought about another thing Gertrude said, something about a last supper but before she could explain, Astrid showed up and that is where his lesson ended.

Hiccup took the spear and put it near the dragons heart and before he stabbed the beast he did a prayer to all the gods that he knew of and then he paused, after a moment of waiting he decided to do a prayer to this One God and when he did, he felt guilt for what he was about to do. He did not understand it but he felt he was doing wrong by taking the life of an animal that lives and breathes like he does.

He looked down at the dragon and they dragon was looking at him and seemed to be scared, the same look Hiccup has had many times when he was picked on by his "friends." When his and the dragons eyes locked, the feeling of guilt was replaced with comfort and warmth. "I cannot kill you so please do not kill me."

Before he knew it, he sliced one, than two and then a third rope and that was enough to free the dragon. The dragon hopped up and looked at Hiccup but did not approach him. He went over to the lake and dove in and came up with a mouthful of fish and spit them out by Hiccup. He then dragged over some wood and started a fire before pushing a few fish over to him.

Hiccup was not sure what was going on but he had made a friend, a friend with the beast that everyone in his village trained to kill, learned to hate and wanted to be on earth no more. He was friends with the enemy and this could be the end of his life if he was found out.

He stayed another day and the dragon, who he named toothless because he had retractable teeth, did not attempt to fly away but a few times he fly at night to stretch his wings and then return to rest beside Hiccup. Hiccup by now had got close enough to him to touch him and at first Toothless growled at him but he then let Hiccup put his hand on his snout and both felt the warmth of the bonding.

 **Return to Berk**

The fifth mourning of being gone, he made his way back into the village and he was greeted by Astrid and she had her arms around him. He would not have been too shocked because she did this before but the big shock was she did it in front of people, lots of people and she smiled and kissed him on the cheek again. She grabbed his hand and ran with him to the Great Hall yelling for Valka and the Chief. They both ran outside and when they saw him they hugged him and welcomed him home.

"Son, did you kill that beast you caught" but Hiccup knew it was not a serious questions but mocking him. He looked at Astrid and she mouthed out a sorry to him and then walked away. She thought he would be upset for disclosing his secret but she also felt he was killed by it since he did not return in a couple of days.

"I did not kill it but I have had some time to do some thinking and I am leaving Berk for a while and not sure when I am coming back, you cannot stop me."

Astrid stopped in her retreating tracks "You are leaving me?"

"Astrid, I was hoping you would come with me and I will not leave for two weeks but I need to prepare for us to leave. I will not be leaving by one the village means but of our own means and I ask you trust me on this." She could only nod and she took his hand again and ran off with him.

"What is going on Hiccup, you are scaring me and I am not sure what to think. I need and explanation and need it now." Her voice was increasing and her heart was pounding faster as she finished and then waited.

"I did catch a dragon but I did not kill it. He is a wonderful beast and we have become friends. If you do not want to come with me I understand but I cannot stay here now that I have becomes friends with a dragon."

She looked at him, then towards the village thinking if she should run and tell the chief and then back to the person she has wanted to be with since she was a toddler. She was so torn and she also remembered he asked her to come with him and that would make her as guilty as him. She was so torn and then she made up her mind.

"Chief, Chief" she yelled as she went to the village.

Hiccup did not stay to listen and he ran off to the cove and he found toothless and for some reason, he got on his back and Toothless took off and they flew, he obviously never flew before and did not know where they were going but it all felt right, that is except his heart broken from the golden blonde girl he thought would never betray him.

Over the next several months, he kept an eye on Berk and he noticed the raids increased. Another observation was Astrid did not have the spunk she used to have and others seemed to ignore her. Did they not believe her and was she in trouble. He could not let this distract him as he had a mission he had to accomplish.

Before he left each night, he always looked back one more time and his eye always caught the shield maiden working alone to fight or put out fires. He was sad for her but is she tried to betray him, and then she deserved to be treated like this.

A year later, the almost seventeen year old boy was now full grown and with his hard work and being the leader of the Guardian Dragons, he was in tip top shape. His muscles have become very well defined and his looks were stared upon by many females he met, including two who he has rescued and become part of the Guardian Dragons, Cami and Heather.

He did not submit his heart to anyone, even though Astrid had hurt him bad, he felt for her and still could not think of anyone else to be his wife someday. He cried over her many times even now that it has been over a year after the betrayal. He loves her and tries to forgive her many times in his heart but he is having a hard time.

His Guardians besides himself consist of Cami (Deadly Nadder), Heather (Razorwhip), Eret (Rumblehorn), Jerrod (Whispering Death), and the newest one is Athelias (Deadly Nadder). Athelias just joined the group after Hiccup was patrolling and found her passed out on a beach. He sent Toothless to go and get Heather and Cami and they have been at her side since then. Hiccup helped her bond with the Deadly Nadder but besides that he only knows she works hard and will be an asset to the group.

The group was ready to go on night patrol and once they were in the air, the noticed a large flock of dragons and Hiccup knew where they were heading, Berk. He motioned for the others to follow and as they got closer they could hear the roar of the dragons and the screams of the villagers.

The Guardians are used to this so they divided up, Athelias stayed with Heather but the rest went alone. Hiccup did as normal and looked for Astrid, he found her and what he saw pissed him off. It was Stoick fighting a dragon and when the dragon lunged at him, Astrid was coming by and he grabbed her and threw her in front of the dragon as a distraction.

 **The Rescue**

Hiccup jumped the thirty feet to the ground and as he hit, he rolled and grabbed Astrid at the same time. She screamed but from being surprised and also wondering who was saving her. She looked up and saw her rescuer talking to the attacking dragon and then when the dragon tried to lunge at her again, he stopped it with a sword to its leg.

The dragon would heal and flew off to do so. Astrid looks at the masked man and after the shock wore off, she asked" Who is this who has rescued me?" Her voice was soft and her eyes were softer as she looked into her rescuers green eyes.

"Gertrude loved us both and I still love you" he whispered into her before mounting toothless and flying away.

Astrid sat down crying and would have stayed there much longer but Stoick grabbed her and dragged her off to his home. He tossed her into the house and then appointed two guards to watch, one in the front and one in the back so she would not escape. "Could this be Hiccup?" she thought but then all were told he is dead. Who is this and why would he say something like that and how anyone else would know to say that.

Stoick was battling two more dragons when he had enough, he kept thinking about the rider who had interrupted his kill and also saved the girl he hated the most, the girl who lied and said she was going to run off with Hiccup who was leaving the island. She wanted to marry him and spend forever. Stoick smiled when he thought how he tied her up for three weeks to make sure that she could not leave with Hiccup. He did let her free during raids to help but then tied her up again under the threat of death. He figured if she was tied up Hiccup would not leave on this wild adventure of his. Stoick had no idea his son trained a dragon and to this day Astrid kept this a secret.

He finished off one of the dragons and was about to kill the other when the rider returned and demanded Stoick let him get rid of the dragon; Stoick smiled and agreed "You get rid of the dragon and I will kill the lying girl. She deserves death for telling untruths about my son." He then walked off.

Hiccup quickly whistled to the other Guardians and they guided the dragon away and Hiccup jumped off of toothless and ran to his old home. "Stoick, you lay a hand on that girl and you will be the next death in this village."

Stoick turned and saw the small person who was threatening him. "How dare you challenge the great Chief of Berk? I am not afraid of a tiny person like you and this girl should have been killed the day she chased my son off."

Hiccup wondered what he was talking about but figured Astrid was being blamed for his leaving but he wanted to take her with and she betrayed him. "How did she chase your son off?"

"She must have told him what she told me that she wanted to marry him and he got scared so he left."

"Marry me" he said softly to himself.

"I will take her so the Chief of this village does not have the blood of one of his own on his hands."

"You just want to rape her and use her for your own but I do not care, just make her miserable before you kill her."

Hiccup was ready to tear his own father apart and with the rage in him, he knew he could. He stormed into the door, grabbed Astrid and she screamed still not sure if this was Hiccup and she also heard the rider saying he will kill her for the chief so the chief does not have her blood on his hands. She was scared that she is not better off now than she was with Stoick.

He got onto Toothless with Astrid in front of him and he whispered into her ear "I will never kill you" and she looked at him but was not sure if that meant he had other ideas for her.

As they lifted off, he had Toothless fly in place about thirty feet off the ground, Hiccup took out a bag and threw it to Stoick and when it landed, it busted open and many years' worth of gold spilled out. "Give this to her parents for a bride's price and if you do not, I will find out and kill you. I will not miss you DAD" and then he flew off.

Stoick looked in shock as this person who claimed to be his son flew off and threatened his life before he left. He also was shocked that this man wants to marry Astrid and all of this added up since he knew his son always had a crush on her and she showed in public her care for him right before he left. Son or not, no one does this to Stoick and he will kill his son and wife and make sure all know how powerful he can be.

 **Reunion**

Astrid passed out from all the excitement and fear she had just experienced. The last thing she remembers is the rider throwing some gold down and telling Stoick it was for the bride's price to her parents and also called Stoick Dad. When she woke, she was in his arms and they were in the air flying, she passed out again.

She woke up and this time she was in a room with a bed, comfy bed at that and she was not alone. Looking down at her were three females and they were talking to her. Her head finally cleared and she noticed how pretty they all were. She was jealous because Hiccup was with these three girls for maybe the last almost year and a half and she was not.

"Astrid, you are safe now and no one will harm you."

"Is it Hiccup who rescued me?"

"Yes, he has never forgotten about you even though you betrayed him."

"Betrayed him, he thinks I betrayed him?" Astrid said sadly.

"You did go and yell for the chief when he told you of his plan, right?"

"I did but not to tell on him, I went to tell the chief I wanted to marry his son and if we could do it soon and then I would leave the island as his wife and we could be together. I love Hiccup and would never betray him. I need to talk to him."

"He is out now taking care of some business. I am going back to Berk tonight get your things. I am the sneak of the Guardians since this one here is blonde hair and her chest can be seen a mile away." Astrid had her first laugh in many months and felt she will get along with this girl.

The girls introduced themselves and told her later they will share their story and how they became part of the Guardian Dragons. They needed to prepare for Heather's trip to Berk and Astrid let her know the things she really wanted and everything else can burn with Berk.

"Astrid, Hiccup has vowed to always protect Berk and even when we got back early this morning, he said has not changed so if he can help it, Berk will not burn."

She smiled knowing his heart had not changed. She would have smiled more but Eret rushed in and was screaming, "Girls, I need you, Toothless dragged Hiccup back but he is bleedings and his breathing is almost undetectable." The girls rushed out including Astrid.

They all stopped when they saw him covered in burns and blood. His face was so charred and his clothes were almost gone. Normally the girls would be red in the face with the private parts that were exposed but they jumped into action. Astrid did not know what to do and it was noticed. "Hold his hand and do not let go" was said but she did not know by whom, she just did it.

Heather cleaned up his face first and he did not have many burns on his face or the rest of his body. His skin was open in a few spots but his limbs seemed to be okay. Astrid still held his hand after he was bandaged up and once his face was cleaned and body wiped down, he seemed to breathe easier.

He slept for three days with short periods of waking up. He stared at Astrid but never said anything during this time. He would stare, drink some water that had chicken boiled in it and fall back asleep. She only left to take care of personal needs and then returned.

After three days, he woke in the middle of the night and he was screaming. "Don't kill Astrid, I will do anything but do not kill Astrid." She woke up and she tried to calm him but he would not stop saying the same thing over and over.

"Shhh my Hiccup nothing is happening to me" but he did not calm. She got on the bed and wrapped her arms around him and started to place kisses on his head and cheeks and he grabbed on to her arm tight, almost hurting her but she did not pull back. He yelled a few more times and each time with a softer voice and finally he stopped, closed his eyes and fell back to sleep with his body in front of Astrid and her arms around him.

She woke the next morning and she noticed she was alone in bed. "What happened" she said to her own self, she wondered if she dreamt what happened last night or was it real. She looked around and she was alone in the room too.

She got out of bed and noticed she had night clothes on but when she went to hold Hiccup, she still had her clothes from the day on. She was getting really confused and foremost wondered where Hiccup was.

"We checked on you last night and Hiccup woke up again so we took him to the bath to clean him and he then fell asleep again. He is on my bed now and the girls changed you. You were so exhausted you did not even wake when they did." She thanked Jerrod for the update and then he left her to change into her clothes for the day.

 **What Happened**

Astrid went into Jerrod's room after getting permission from him and sat beside Hiccup. His sleep this time was more like a normal sleep and she enjoyed watching him. She was not sure why or if it was okay but she crawled under the furs with him, wrapped her arms around him and fell asleep resting against his back.

When she woke, she could sense she was being stared at and she had not opened her eyes yet. When she did, she saw those wonderful green eyes looking at her and a little lower she saw a big smile.

"I assume you are not mad at me for taking you?" She looked at him and for the first time, she kissed him. Kissed him with all the energy she had and pulled him in really tight to her body. She was not going to let go but then they were interrupted. "Hey, can you two save that for your own bed and not mine?" They had forgotten they were in Jerrod's bed and separated with red faces.

"Take it easy Jerrod, we are not married yet and I would not make her an improper woman before our marriage."

Hiccup managed to get out of bed and then she followed. She accepted his offered hand and they walked into the area he had set up for eating. She was kind of surprised three women live here because the place looked like it had not been clean in years and the table was unfit for eating. She had been in here before but never paid attention because her mind was on Hiccup's recovery.

"Hiccup, is it okay if I ask what happened?" She was concerned but still trying to figure out what she is allowed to ask and to make her business.

"I was going to wait for the others but if we are to become husband and wife, I should learn to disclose everything to you first." Astrid beamed with pride knowing he wanted her to be part of everything of his and she is willing to accept all.

"There will be no more dragon raids because I defeated the Red Death." Astrid heard a few gasp and realized there were eaves droppers on their conversation. "Okay the rest of you, come on in and stop being so secretive."

"What the Fu…"

"Watch your language Heather; you know that is not allowed in my home here."

She knew it but it slipped out. Heather apologized and then sat down with the rest and listened on how he defeated the Red Death. Astrid listened and withheld all her questions until Hiccup was done.

He went on to explain how he lured the large dragon out and forced her to fly and then when he got her in the air, him and Toothless along with ten Deadly Nadders he summoned to help, fought her until they forced her to follow Toothless and Hiccup towards the ground.

He told that when the dragon crashed, they were making their escape when they saw that tail club coming at them. It was like slow motion and he prayed to all the gods and the tail still came at him and then he prayed to the One God and the tail somehow exploded from the seventh plasma shot of Toothless. All looked shocked except Astrid who looked confused.

Cami explained that Toothless can only do 6 plasma shots in a short period of time so the seventh one was a gift from the One God.

Hiccup went on to say he was still hit with debris and knocked off of Toothless; he crashed into the ground and then the next thing he knew he was home and in bed with Astrid. He asked to be moved because as much as he loved it, he was not going to make her impure before their wedding. He was taken by the men to be bathed and was then moved to Jerrod's room. When he woke up again he had the golden blonde haired girl at his side again.

He told Astrid then he has a room set up for her, a room he has had since he built the house planning on somehow forgiving her and asking her to be his wife. He looked down after telling her this because he was still upset with her.

"Hiccup, I did not betray you and sorry you thought so. I ran to your dad, the chief and told him I want to marry you and will be leaving with you. He then turned dark and grabbed me and tied me up so I could not run back to you. He only let me go during raids and made sure I came back or he would kill my family. I helped on the raids and then returned to his home where I was held captive for three weeks."

She was still looking down not knowing if she wanted to see the look on her face. "I should have just left with you but I wanted to properly marry you and leave Berk with you. You announced to your dad already you were leaving and I was trying to do my proper part. I am sorry I messed up so much Hiccup and caused you pain. I did not think your father would do something like that and he has turned very evil. I have not seen my parents since the day you left and I was abused daily by your father."

She was still looking down and she could hear sobbing. She looked up and saw tears in everyone's eyes and the most tears belonged to Hiccup. "You suffered because you love me and not hate me?" She nodded.

"Yes Hiccup, I love you so much and over the past couple years, my love for you is all that kept me from going crazy. I love you" she then kissed him on the lips in front of the others but did not care if they had witnesses.

"Can all of you leave us alone please?" The other five left and it was not Hiccup and Astrid in the room.

"Astrid, when we were young I had a conversation with Gertrude that day we played hide and seek. That is why we were holding hands. She was teaching me to pray to what she referred to as One God. She explained she referenced Him because He is the almighty creator of Earth and all on it. She told me that when she prayed to Him good things happened but not all prayers were answered and this was not always bad."

"When I met Toothless I prayed to all the gods before I cut him free and I felt like I was just talking into thin air, when I prayed to the One God, I felt warmth over take me and Toothless opened his eyes and I saw gentleness in him. I cut him free and he could have attacked me but instead we became friends. I also prayed to all the gods the other day and nothing but when I prayed to One God, the tail exploded and I was saved with little damage considering I could have been killed."

"Why do bad things happen if this One God is so powerful?" She asked out of concern and not questioning what Hiccup was telling her.

"I am not sure Astrid but look at how many bad things happen to us when we pray to the many gods we worshipped on Berk. Gertrude was going to tell me more when you came in and then she promised on her next visit she was going to bring me a book that told the story of life and this One God sending his Son to save us all if we choose to follow him."

Astrid still was not sure what to think of this but she saw the determination on her best friends face and he was serious.

"Astrid, I am not sure what all this means because no one besides Gertrude has helped me learn but all of us here have started at times to pray to the One God and better things have happened. I prayed to Him the night I took you from Berk. I prayed for a way for me to rescue and I did. The many other raids we watched over I prayed to the other gods and nothing happened to allow me to rescue you. Astrid, will you travel with me to try and get answers about this God and find out why Gertrude told me she loves him more than even her parents?"

Astrid was not sure what to say, she wanted, no she needed to be by Hiccup but everything he was saying was against the beliefs she has had over the past 18 years. She was not sure if she could change her ways but she still needed Hiccup so she agreed.

"I am not sure about everything you say and maybe this is for all the wrong reasons but I will go with you but only because I want to be with you."

"Astrid, I am not sure what I say is right either but so far I believe what Gertrude seemed to believe so strongly in. She came to me in a dream once and told me that ones I love might not follow the One God but I need to focus on him and great happiness will come to me in many forms but also sadness will be in my life too. In the dream she told me God does not promise a perfect life but he promises if we believe in His Son then we are never alone during the storms of life."

"In another dream Gertrude told me I need to rescue you, she said that your soul was in danger more than your body and to rescue you, I need to find my own way to God. She said we are to be together and will be happy but before we marry we need to seek God and get the answers we seek about Him. Astrid, I am scared about this because I too was raised to believe in the many gods of the world and now I am told one God rules overall and he is the creator and the judge of us all."

"Hiccup, how many dreams have you had of Gertrude?" She was concerned how much he thought about her cousin and she was jealous.

"Not near as much as I dreamt about you and about us." She was satisfied with this answer.

He went on to tell her about some of the dreams that he learned about proper treatment if a girl and not to bed her or anything like that until after marriage. How to respect the woman and the woman must submit to the man but also the man should not take advantage of this, he must respect her and protect her from all evil including any evil within himself.

He told her that he learned about forgiveness and had already forgiven her before he knew she did not wrong him. He explained how he was having a hard time thinking how to forgive his father but he still wanted to protect the village and that is why he killed the Red Death.

"Astrid, I need to go back to Berk and confront my father, will you be okay here with the others?"

"Please do not go yet Hiccup, I want to spend time with you and learn more of what you know. I am not sure of this God you speak of but I do know you are strong about Him even though you also need to find out more. I need time but I also need time with you. I am scared I will lose you, I feel I should go with you and we together will face him; please let me do this with you."

"When I go to the village, the Guardians will be near and any sign of danger they will step in and protect me Astrid. You are not trained to be one of them yet but someday I hope you will ride alongside me as we protect both human and beast from each other. I am not about death but sometimes death needs to happen when one is more evil than the other and cannot be changed."

"Two weeks please, can I have two weeks to train and learn to be at your side. Can we sneak into the village and find Gobber too and have him marry us. Gobber and Gothi are the only two who treated me with respect and believed me when I told them I did not betray you but wanted to marry you. I want to confess my love and intent to be your wife in front of them and skip the rest of the Viking condition. I am not longer a Viking but the love of your life and that is enough of a title for me."

"Two weeks seems reasonable of a request but during this time we will not sleep in the same bed and also we will act properly towards each other. I am not sure of my dreams but I want to try because so far this One God has answered my prayers, including letting me bring you here. I know Gertrude said 'we' need to seek this God before we get married and I already believe in Him even though I lack knowledge in what He is about."

"I am not sure about this God Hiccup but since you trust Him and are not scared to tell me about him, I promise to open my heart to learn more about him and also if you can teach me to pray to just one God. I see the changes He has made in you so you are my witness to Him and I am willing to accept him as well but we need to find more answers. After we marry and confront your father, can we search for this book and study it together?"

"I would love that Astrid, I love you too. We will get married in two weeks that is if you want to marry me so soon and they will also confront his father."

She agreed to this but after she confirmed if they could hold hands and also kiss and he said that is okay so she did, she kissed him hard and Hiccup loved the feel of her lips and so did the rest of him. He thought to himself how difficult it was going to be to resist her and wondered if she would be a test of his temptations like Gertrude said will happen before he marries Astrid.

They walked hand in hand to the area the dragons stayed and when she looked around, she was amazed how many dragons stayed with Hiccup and the others. She saw deadly nadders, monstrous nightmares, a Skrill, and many breeds she did not know of. When battling them she never studied the types but her goal was to stay alive and protect others.

"Come with me Astrid, I have your future dragon over here and if she is like her mother, she will be so beautiful, just like you." Astrid blushed but she also tightened her grip on Hiccup and thought how fast these two weeks would go buy and she needed to cherish each moment.

They went through the house, out a back door and into the dragon stables were the rider's dragons were kept. She noticed one stable had a large flat rock with many burn marks on it and the stall was bordered not with wood but stone. She guessed this was Toothless's stall and he liked to heat the rock before he lay down. She saw him do this to the rock that was in Hiccup's room.

When they were closer to the stall, she noticed a blue and white speckled egg and she drew nearer to it, she felt a connection. She put her hand out and her hand felt warm, almost hot but did not burn. She placed her hand on the egg and a glow overtook her and the egg, a glow so bright Hiccup could not witness what was going on.

She felt warmth through her body and then she heard a voice "Astrid, take care of Hiccup and trust in his words. One God is your savior and what Hiccup tells you is true. He still needs to find answers too but join him on his journey and protect him. He will encounter darkness from within him but you are safe because of the sacrifices of the Son of God. Hiccup might scare you at times but trust him that he will never hurt you."

Astrid knew this voice even though it has been over ten years since she heard her cousin's voice. She felt her love enter into her heart and she turned to see Hiccup looking at her, she did not know she could see him but because of the glow he could not see her.

She turned to the egg and in front of her she saw it crack and then a white snout poked out followed by the rest of the dragon. She put out her hand and the dragon pushed her snout against Astrid's hand and she felt energy from the little dragon. She was in shock how all this felt and after a bit her mind and body could not take much more and she fainted.

When she came too, she was on the floor of the stable but her head was on something soft to touch but yet firm, like muscle. She realized her head was resting in Hiccups lap and he was running his fingers through her hair and pat of her wanted to pretend to not be awake yet but he already knew.

"Welcome back sleepy head" he joked with her and she smiled.

"How long have I been out" and he told her just a few minutes but he caught her as she fell so she did not hit her head. She thanked him and then closed her eyes to try and adjust her thinking and come to a realization of what she heard.

"Hiccup, I talked to Gertrude and it was not a dream because I had not fainted yet. She told me to trust everything you have told me and I do Hiccup but I still have doubts and need answers, this is so much to take in but I promise to go with and we seek out the answers together. I love you and to be with you is my life to be and I gladly accept it."

He smiled at her and then held her close. He could not wait to be married to this woman and to have her in his arms at all times night and day. His love for her grew with each minute he was with her and he will protect her from any evil even if it means giving his own life for her.

Astrid and Hiccup looked at the newly hatched dragon and Hiccup gasped at the site, "How can this be?" he said out loud.

"What do you mean Hiccup?" Astrid asked.

"This egg we found on an island that Toothless and I found not long after we left Berk. The night we found it I had a dream that a rare dragon resided in this egg and the egg will only hatch for my soul mate. I never doubted who that is but seeing it happen and then to see this dragon makes me know there is more to this world than what we believe and a higher power exist."

"I am confused Hiccup."

"In my dream, the person also told me that in this egg was a gift that no one else will ever have and will be from the God of Gertrude. The person told me this dragon will be as rare as Toothless but are of the same breed and together they will have many dragons and populate the world with their kind. Toothless and I have been looking for a mate for him when he gets of age. He is only six years old and will start to mate at the age of ten. A female can mate at the age of four since they grow faster."

Astrid was not sure how to take this and this talk of the One God has her confused and she can tell Hiccup is too. She holds his hand and they watch as Toothless sniffs his white miniature cloned female and then is all excited. The little albino female night fury seems disinterested in toothless until he sends up a fish from his stomach and shares it with her. She eats the fish quickly and then begs for more.

"Is this really my dragon?"

"Yes" was the only response he gave as he watched in amazement.

 **Two Weeks Later**

Snowstorm, the name given by Astrid to the dragon seemed to approve was still too young and small to carry a person but she could already fly great distances. Toothless took her flying each day and also helped her learn to hunt.

Heather, Cami and Athelias had Astrid dressed in proper white dress but not a wedding dress and Hiccup was in his Guardian Rider gear but the girls had cleaned it up so he looked nice for the weeding. He had flown ahead with the men and they were scouting over Berk before the girls showed up.

On the way there, he said a silent prayer to the only God he prayed to now. " _Dear One God, I ask for protection for the women and strength in us men to handle this situation with non-violent resolve. I also ask for this to be the beginning of the journey for Astrid and me and for us to be blessed with many descendants from us."_ He was not taught how to end a prayer yet but he did say thank you and then pushed his mask down as they landed in the cove and then made their way to the village.

They made their way to the forge and lucky for them the village was quiet except for the pounding of metal from the forge. Hiccup had Eret and Jerrod stand guard as he entered the forge and with Gobber's back to him he was about to say something but he heard another voice, the voice of Gobber "I will meet you their Hiccup and I will not tell anyone." He then went back to work and Hiccup shrugged his shoulders and then left.

Eret and Jerrod were confused they only heard one voice and it was not Hiccup's and also confused that this person acted like he knew what their mission was. Hiccup was also confused but he put his trust no in the one he prayed to and felt this was His doing.

The men met the women in the cove and explained what had happened. Hiccup told of his prayer he said on the way to Berk and the prayer he said last night to have Gobber understand and to help them. He was sitting on a rock he had sat on many times before and looked around to see if Astrid was around.

"She cannot see you on the night of your wedding, you should know that Hiccup."

"I hate traditions" and everyone laughed but he was serious. He even heard Astrid's laugh as was tempted to go to the cave she was in but he did not want to ruin the fun everyone else seemed to be having.

"I had a dream last night and in the dream a man told me to stay late at the forge and the heir of Berk would show himself and need my assistance and I was to offer it to them. I then saw Astrid in a white dress and you in that outfit you have on now. When you entered the forge I saw your reflection on some metal I had I front of me and it was just as the dream was. Can we get this wedding started?"

A little bit later Astrid, the now Mrs. Haddock was on her husband's lap and all were catching up with Gobber. He told how Stoick has gone crazy and the names Hiccup an Astrid are not to be said on the island.

"I know you are here to defeat him and take over the island and I will not help you with that but I also will not help Stoick."

"I do not want to be chief of Berk and will gladly give it to Snotlout if it comes to that. I am here to forgive my father and ask for him to forgive me."

"I am afraid he will only try to kill you and Astrid and not listen to you."

Hiccup figured his da…Stoick would be like this but he had to try. He dreamt of this and he also dreamt this was going to be a great challenge between him and his dad but he woke up before he found out what happens.

"I will enter the village tomorrow but tonight I am going to the cabin on the far side of the cabin with my wife to celebrate alone our marriage and then tomorrow we will enter the village as Chief and Chief's wife of the Guardian Dragon's."

 **Facing Dad**

The next morning the newlyweds arrived back at the cove with the look of not much sleep but a fresh glow about them. True they were near the springs so they bathed but there was more to it. Astrid had a hard time looking at the others, especially the girls who she could see were begging for details. Hiccup acted like a true leader and started in on the plans for the day.

"Today we liberate ourselves from this village. I will cut my ties and that means none of you need to hear me talk about it. We are going to offer a few people to join us on our journey as long as they agree to support our cause and do not have to join the cause but cannot go against it." He looked at Astrid and she knew he was talking her family and his mom.

Astrid thought of her family daily and hoped they were not angry with her. She was kind of angry with them because to her knowledge they did not once try to rescue her the whole time Stoick kept her captive. She did miss them and she is willing to forgive them and so is Hiccup.

Astrid and Hiccup walked into the village but with confidence. They knew they had the backing of five other people and their dragons plus Toothless was with Heather as well if any problems came up. Snowstorm was left behind under strict orders from Toothless and also the promise of many hours of flying once he got back.

As they passed people in the village, they ran off and looked at Astrid as if she was a ghost. She was confused by this and figured it had to do with some lie the chief told them. She looked at her home and noticed her parents look at her and then they turned from her and closed the door. She was hurt they did not run to her but she felt her husband's hand in hers and he looked at her. "Give them time Astrid, they think you are dead or were told to never mention you again. I am thinking there is a lot of fear in this village and must all come from one man."

She knew he was probably right but that did not take from the hurt she was feeling right now. She noticed in the second story of the house she used to live in, a young girl was looking out from her old bedroom, had she been replaced already.

Once they approached the Great Hall, Hiccup asked one of the guards to get the chief as he had urgent business to talk with him. The guards left and a few minutes later, a man who looked like he had been beaten down was in the doorway.

"Hello Stoick, I am sure you missed us" said Hiccup with sarcasm. Astrid gripped his hand as if saying stay civil about this so he changed his attitude for the sake of his wife.

"We are here to ask for forgiveness of our previous actions and we forgive you for the actions you did against Astrid. We are now married and we will be going back to our village but we want to with a cleared heart and hope we can start a relationship that we never seemed to have."

"We did not have a relationship because you choose to be so different and not of the Viking way, you are a traitor who has accepted the beast as your friends." Hiccup and Astrid turned to look and see Snotlout fuming after he said this. He was still in love with Astrid but it was one sided.

"Snotlout, I am not here to be chief, I already have my own small tribe and with luck it will be growing soon. With that said, I also ask if my mother, who I know no longer stays in the same hut as my father, and also Astrid's parents and the girl staying with them want to come to our village. They are welcomed to come with us and learn the peace of the dragons and also how we are a family unit even if not of the same blood."

Astrid looked over and saw her mother let go of her father's hand and rush to her. She grabbed Astrid into a hug and started to cry and ask for forgiveness on the name of Odin."

"I do not pray to Odin anymore mother but you are forgiven." Her dad stood their along with this girl who looked to be 4 or five years old.

Her mother noticed her glance and she turned to Astrid. "She was forced onto us by Stoick and told us to raise this one right or we will be banished from the island. She is a great little girl but she is not my baby, I love you Astrid and sorry we failed you." She hugged her mom again and looked over her shoulder and saw her father with no emotion on his face.

Her mother's show of affection was interrupted by a loud voice. "Enough, this is my village and I will not have the show of forgiveness to traitors or consider yourself to be traitors yourself."

Astrid ignored the chief and she walked over to the little girl and knelt down before her. "What is your name?" She looked at the girl who hid behind Astrid's father but he did not more, he did nothing as if he was a statue.

"My name was Hailey but he" she pointed at the chief "told me I am to be called Astrid from now on."

"As of this moment, you are named Hailey and if no one else will accept that, Hiccup and I will and you can live with us. Where is your real mom?"

"She was killed by dragons and my dad disappeared and was told it was an accident."

Astrid turned to look at Stoick and he smirked and she knew he had Hailey's father killed and forced this girl on her parents. She walked up to Stoick and slapped his face to wipe that smirk off. He went to grab her but she moved away quickly and he was stopped by Valka who glared at him. "You had the girl's father killed so you could force her onto the Hofferson's?"

"Get away from me woman, I do what is best for the tribe."

Valka went over and hugged Hiccup who tensely returned the hug. He was still trying to grasp what was happening here and released how far his dad is gone. He leaned down to Astrid and whispered into her ear. "Grab Hailey and get to Toothless, we are done her." He then turned to his mom and Astrid's mom. "You both are welcomed to join us" but both shook their heads no and said they needed to stand by their husbands good or bad.

Hiccup knew this was wrong on their part and both might even be dead by the end of the day. "Sorry you feel that way and sorry you did not say good bye to Astrid as we are not returning. Good by mother and I wish you well and God Bless." He turned to leave and Stoick yelled at him but Hiccup did not listen.

As his back was turned, he could sense evil behind him and just as he quickly turned, he moved just in time to avoid the ax being thrown his way. He caught it and returned the ax and it struck Stoick in the chest and the big man fell instantly dead. Hiccup looked at everyone and then he turned to join Astrid who was on toothless and witness the whole vent.

Hiccup did not turn back to look at the villagers but instead asked Astrid to fly Toothless and he held Hailey and also took the time to mourn the death of the man who was supposedly his father. Astrid also mourned the death of her mother because she considered her mother and father dead for not wanting to come with them and trusted in the wicked chief instead of their daughter.

Hailey was not sure what was going on but she did not like the people she lived with before and also she thought it was fun to be in the air and she giggled every time they hit an air pocket causing Toothless to bounce around a bit. Astrid and Hiccup could not help but smile and hang on to the little girl a little more.

"Let's go home family" Hiccup said and Astrid urged toothless on faster and also listened to Hiccup as he helped guide her in flying him.

 **A/N: Thank you everyone for reading the first chapter of this story I hope to accomplish. I have been working on this chapter for a while now and have part of the second chapter done in the next week or two.**

 **My goal is to have an entertaining story along with the word of God in it. I have another account that I no longer write on and part of that is I have wrote some stories I am not proud of. I have been a Christian for 15 years now and a times when I go through hard times I start to move to a side of my life that is not right and I found writing this story, I have come closer to God and also I am gaining my faith back. God is always with us but it is us who separate ourselves at times. Our everlasting loving God is faithful and good to us and he takes us back like a parent taking back their children who stray from them, that is why He is the almighty Father and His Son is our savior. Thank you Lord for not giving up on me and help me to spread your word through the enjoyment of writing.**


	2. Trials Of Life

**Thank you for those who read the first long chapter. I will try and make the chapters less than 3k (Including notes) from now on to try and create a better flow. As I reread the first chapter, I also sensed a speed faster than I liked. I will work on making the detail clearer without filling it up with a bunch of words to make the chapters longer. I do not have a plan of how many chapters but am working on that too and once I finish with the future chapter titles, I will post it on my profile page and add chapter titles as I work through the story.**

 **A note to guest reviewers, I do like to interact with my reviewers so if you have an account and want to chat, use your account. I learn as much from my reviewers as they might from my writing. Fellowship is important to me and fellowship does not have to be just church or church group activities**

 **Enough of my rambling and thank you to the ones who reviewed, I love hearing from people even if it is not about the story but also to talk about God and His Son, our wonderful savior Jesus Christ.**

 **Trials of Life**

It has been a couple weeks now since the incident on Berk, Astrid was depressed and Hiccup was angry with himself. He hated taking life, but was not the first time but this was his dad. He noticed the look on everyone's face when he killed his dad but none seemed to be angry or happy with him, just shocked.

Astrid was not upset at him at all for everything that happened. Hiccup gave her family a chance to come with as he did his mother and they refused to go, something about dedication to their men is the reason the mom's would not leave. Hiccup and Astrid were both hurt by this because they felt betrayed by the motherly bond they thought was supposed to happen but obviously not.

Astrid was torn some because she loves Hiccup and understands the dedication to the man you are married to, as short as they have been married. She would die for him and she knows he would die for her.

Astrid was learning about this motherly bond because that is what she has become to Hailey. Hailey is not scared of Hiccup and loves to be around him, especially when he is with the dragons, but when Hailey has a need Astrid is the one she needs. Hiccup understood this and loved to watch the tenderness Astrid showed towards Hailey, especially when Hiccup always knew her as a fierce warrior.

One night when Astrid and Hiccup were in bed, after dedicating there love to each other like they did most nights, Astrid asked Hiccup if he wanted children of their own. She knew this had to be asked because since their wedding night three weeks ago, they never took precautions such as morning tea and if she is not pregnant yet and he does not want kids yet, she needs to make some and drink it daily the way things are going. She smiled at these thoughts because she loves being with Hiccup as his wife and she also wants to have their children.

He also wants children and he does not want to wait. The talked about the average life of a Viking is less than fifty years and with both being a couple years from twenty, they wanted to have as many children as Astrid's body can handle. Astrid thought this too for now but she was told by many women that mind set changes after having that first child.

"Astrid, can we try praying to God about our future? I mean we are still trying to learn about Him but he gives us results and we want children and also more knowledge so maybe we need to ask Him for this information." She nodded and then she asked if he would be the one to pray since she is not comfortable yet praying silently even though she has tried.

 _Dear God, Astrid and I are seeking answers about you or more knowledge and we do not know where to go. Can you guide us in this adventure and also we ask for guidance in being parents to Hailey and to have many children of our own. I pray for pregnancy and also safety for Astrid when she is carrying our children in her. Thank You God_

Hiccup was not sure if he was doing it right but then if He is truly God, then he will understand what Hiccup is asking. He is not sure were these thoughts are coming from because with the gods he used to pray to, you have to be specific and that is why he was always told his prayers were not answered. He realized a few times he did the exact same prayer to God as he did the gods and God answered or gave guidance in the venture he was in.

Journey Planning

The next morning Astrid and Hiccup started to plan a journey to see if they could get answers. On this trip they would go from island to island and seek out anything that would help them. Toothless was still the only dragon that could carry anyone but he was strong enough to fly with all three on them.

Hailey was excited for the trip and even though she did not understand her parent's reason for the trip or what they talked about then they talked about God, she trusted them. On Berk kids were not introduced to the gods until around five so the God her parents talk about is the only one she knows of.

Hailey already had a dragon too, a beautiful baby nadder who was a bright blue and she loves her little girl. The nadder is old enough to fly and Hailey is small enough to ride her but Astrid and Hiccup did not let her fly more than a bit around the village. During this trip, they would work more with her and let her fly higher and longer but still only over land since she did not know how to swim.

Snowstorm is growing fast and within a few months she will be able to carry Astrid short distances. She was a big dragon to begin with when hatched and growing fast to catch up to Toothless. Helps that Astrid is much lighter than Hiccup too and Toothless can carry supplies to lighten her load when she does start to carry Astrid.

The first thing they were going to do is make sure the few left on the island are okay. Eret will be in charge but all will have a say. Hiccup encouraged them to continue to seek out people and dragons who needed help and if needed to let people stay in his place. He wanted to make the world safer and if it meant giving up his home while gone, then let it be.

In preparation for receiving others onto the island, the men had a daily chore of cutting trees and making them into half logs for future homes in case they needed them. Hiccup had a plan of building ten more homes and already had the plans. The men were working on the first home now and hoped to have the framing done before Hiccup and his family left.

He had already sent a few letters to Berk inviting them to come to his island, about the same size and a lot less issues than Berk but no one has showed up yet. He was disappointed because he thought his mom and Astrid's parents would realize what they did wrong and change their mind.

The residence on his island now not including him, Astrid and Hailey are Eret, Jerrod, Heather, Cami and Athelias. He knew that Cami and Eret are getting close and also Heather and Jerrod are getting close but not sure how close, he tried to stay out of their personal lives and he asked the same of them. Athelias still hopes someday she can find her best friend from her island but the last time they went to check, not a person was around.

Hiccup liked to dream big and as much as he did not want to be the chief at Berk, he did want to lead the people on this island he now called Eden, or the beginning since this island is the beginning of his new life, a life with Astrid, Hailey and his friends. He figured when they returned probably in a one year time, there might be some changes to the island. Hopefully more people if anyone from Berk decides to show up and also two more married couples.

Over the next week Astrid made sure to pack the things they used and made a list of the daily items they used and would pack the day they left. They planned to leave a little after high sun and make a pass over Berk to see how everything was going on the island they still hope to save. They have not given up hope but also wanted to give Berk the space they needed to mourn the loss of their leader and let Snotlout learn to lead.

A couple days before they left, Astrid rode Snowstorm and though the young dragon could not go very far, it was fun for all, especially Hailey who rode Sky alongside her mother. Hiccup was in the forge he created and heard some laughter and when he looked outside, he saw the two dragons and their riders approach him. He could not help but smile at the scene before them.

"Should we delay the journey a few weeks so you and Snowstorm can learn to fly longer distance?" but he was met with a frown and a shake of the head. Astrid was looking forward to the exploring and was about to tell him with words when the horn of alert was sounded.

Hiccup and Astrid ran to the lookout point near the forge and noticed two small boats approaching with a few people in them. He looked through the looking glass he made and recognized one of the people and he smiled knowing Berk has arrived.

 **A/N: John 14:21 is the bible verse I received today for my morning devotion. Amazing how the word reminds us so many times the love and grace that God gives us. We are sinners but as pointed out by one of my guest reviewers, once we accept Jesus as our savior and allow him into our hearts, we are pure in the eyes of God as he looks at us through the forgiveness of Jesus. Thank you Lord for this love you have for us.**

 **In this last chapter, I tried to get away from the low parts of life and yet set up for the future chapters. This story will have many highs and lows and teachings of God's word.**

 **I plan to update on Fridays for sure and maybe another day in the week since I am making shorter chapters. Thank you everyone for reading and even if you do not follow or review, your reading my story is about God and not me so I am happy**


	3. Women Of Berk

**This chapter will go into some detail why just the women of Berk are coming to Eden and what is needed to be done by Hiccup and his tribe. This will be the beginning of a larger tribe and more responsibility for both Hiccup and Astrid and how it affects their lives. Will take a few chapters to see how this goes and the ups and downs of leadership.**

 **Today in Church we talked about the prayer of Jabez. (1 Chronicles 4:9-10) It is only two verses but the meaning is incredible. Have faith in what you ask God, ask with your heart and good intent and you will be blessed. God knows if we are asking for other motives than intended in our words to him. We speak with words but God listens to our hearts.**

 **Women of Berk**

Hiccup and Astrid greeted their mothers, many other women of Berk and all the children under the age of ten. They welcomed them with open arms and knew at this point the journey for Hiccup and family was not going to happen. The two had so many questions but for now they needed to get the females of Berk onto dry land, feed them and make them comfortable.

Valka was so weak from the journey that was only a few hours via dragon but a couple days by boat and with the men not with, the women had to do all the rowing when the winds were low or from the wrong direction. The food supply was short; everyone looked like they had not eaten for a couple of days, except the children. This trip took longer to avoid detection and surprising anyone survived.

After being fed, clothes changed and a few even took advantage of the water fall to rinse off before changing, a fire was made and the adults sat around to talk about what happened.

"Mom, can you tell me what happened and why no men are along?" Hiccup asked thinking the worst and his thoughts were not too far off.

"Let me first say thank you to all of you for accepting us when we denied you when you were on Berk. All of you are better people than we are." Hiccup wanted to say something but his mother put her hand up and the respect he still had for her quieted him for the time being.

"We do not know where they came from but there were a lot of them, maybe 50 to 75 well-armed men and we spotted them coming from a long distance away. We were not scared of these numbers since we could fight them off before they reached the island but they had catapults on the ship and could reach Berk with them before our catapults could take them out." She paused to catch her breath and calm her mind.

"Snotlout and Spitelout who have assumed joint chief duties directed all females and all boys ten and under to the boats we had at the back of the island along with any food we could carry. He also supplied us with bows for hunting and a few spears for fishing. We ate most of our ratios in a matter of three days since we did not have much and we saved what we could for the children. We did get lucky a few times and speared some fish that swam close to the surface but had to eat them raw a few got sick and died." She lowered her head thinking of those they lost.

"When we left the island, Tuffnut and three other boys used another boat and drew the attention of the guards to give us a head start. I think they knew it was death for them but they volunteered. They know how to get to your island because Snotlout had us memorize it in case of situations like this."

Hiccup and Astrid were impressed with the leader Snotlout has become and both were actually proud of him.

"We have lost four women and six children in the two weeks we have been on the boats. The attack happened two days after you left and I doubt any of the men are left with the power this army had. I know a few men died in the first attack and the boulders were still flying when we left."

While Valka drank some water, Hiccup whispered to Jerrod and he got up and left, he motioned for Eret to follow. Astrid heard what Hiccup said and in a selfish way was glad her husband was not going to be part of what they were going to do. She knew eventually he will be involved but for now he will be safe.

Valka continued and did not ask what was going on. "I had received your notes and the map so we as a group decided you are our safest place to go and we hope we have not thought wrong." Hiccup smiled and hugged his mom who was sitting between him and Astrid and Astrid hugged her too and her own mom.

"Hiccup, we have 12 women 15 and older and 11 children under the age of 15 and no supplies with us so if we are a burden, send us on our way and we will find another place. We just ask if you can spare any supplies to help us move on."

"You are not leaving and everyone is welcomed here. I ask that anyone able help build the houses we had planned for a situation like this and the talents of the Berk women will help us with food gathering, meat processing and other daily activities. All get some rest now and we will discuss more tomorrow. If I am not here you will report to Astrid and do as she says. We are like any tribe, if you disobey her that is the same as disobeying me and you will be punished."

"You all know we have dragons on the island and they are our friends, any violence against the dragons is like violence against a person and the punishment is the same. We live with the dragons and they help us with building, hunting and protection of our island." He got a nod from the adults and the girls old enough to be considered adults.

Everyone left around the fire except Hiccup and Astrid, she was feeling tired so she put her head on his shoulder and was deep in thought. "Hiccup, you are going to Berk, correct?" It was more of a comment than a question but he nodded. She tightened her grip around his arm.

"I sent Jerrod and Eret to scout the situation, see if they can find Tuffnut and report back to me tonight. I will stay up until their return but let me assist you to bed as you seem more tired than you normally do."

"I think the excitement of flying even though it was short distance and then seeing our moms and hearing what happened has me worried and emotionally tired out. I also do not feel the greatest but have not eaten much today."

"Would you like me to make you something, broth or soup?" She shook her head and kissed him good night and made her way to their bed.

 **Scouting report**

A few hours later she heard voices in the kitchen and she put on her thick robe to join the men and hear what they saw. She saw tears in their eyes and she knew it was not good.

"Hi my love, you might not want to hear what they have to say. It is not good news on Berk and we need to make a game plan."

"Why do you need to go back if everything is destroyed?"

"Not everything is but the men are being used as slaves and a few of them have been hung on crosses to die and be eaten by the wild animals in the area. Snotlout and Spitelout are dead and Fishlegs will be before we return. Tuffnut has not been found and the boys that are not adults are being kept in cages while the boys strong enough to work are being abused and used as slaves. We need to rescue them and get the men and boys to Eden. Let's pray."

 _Dear Lord, we have another hurdle in the path of our plans but we cannot ignore this. Please guide us to help our brothers in Berk and to bring them safely home to their families. Thank you God_

The prayer was short but after he was done, a plan came to mind and he started to explain what is needed to be done. Hiccup was silent for a while as he thought his plan out and then he began to speak a brief statement.

"We attack in one week and in that time we get as many of the women as we can to learn to fly dragons and we will attack under night fall. Eret recognized the soldiers as Roman's and told me how ruthless they are. They have no problem killing women and children along with the men. They come into a land and strip it of its resources using the captured residents as slaves and once they no longer need a person, they kill them. I know by delaying we will lose more Berkian's but if we go in now with just the seven of us, we will all die too."

"Per Jerrod's scouting report, they have many ships placed around the island so we cannot sneak into the back side of Berk. We will start out with coming straight at them but also send a few of us with dragons to the back side to create some noise. We will be out numbered but with the help of God, we can do this and save our people."

Hiccup finished with what he had to say and then Eret and Jerrod left. He looked at Astrid who had fallen asleep on his arm and smiled before picking her up and carrying her to bed. "I will protect you and Hailey even if it cost me my life" he whispered to her. He turned away to get dressed and then he heard a soft whisper.

"Don't you dare die on me" and then she fell back to sleep.

 **A/N: Sometimes in life, the best plans are delayed or permanently changed. Hiccup and Astrid had plans to seek out answers for God but this will not happen, yet that is. God has given them a task to save the people who turned their backs on them. How many times in life we end up dealing with a situation we want to forget, someone wrongs us and we just want to ignore them. The said person then had a need and you can help with it, do you ignore them or do you step forward and show the grace of God through your actions. Sometimes we can talk all we want to get someone to accept God and the words fall on deaf ears, when we show actions, then our words hold more weight. Do not turn from those in need and most important if you do help someone do it is a cheerful servant of God and not because you wanted recognition about it. Take the opportunity to get closer to that person and show them the love of God through your actions.**

 **Next chapter the women of Berk pick out the dragons, or maybe the dragon picks the rider. A few more people escape Berk and arrive on the island and they will assist with the battle. The chapter will start with a prayer and the prayer will be answered through the finding of a tribe that was thought to have been killed off.**

 **Michael 4/17/16**

 **FYI, I put the date on the day I post it just so you can see how often post. I will try to do at least one posting a week but some weeks will be more. I love writing and writing to spread God's word is an amazing feeling.**


	4. Riders, Fighters, and Survivors

**Training Part 1**

Hiccup woke up early the next morning and started his plan. He gathered the older women of the Berk and asked how many have experience in battles and six of them raised their hands. He figured this will be good with the six new additions and the seven of them. He knew he had to get them all on dragons and was surprised all of them were willing.

Another surprise is two of the girls, Gwen who is fifteen and Athena who is fourteen wanted to battle too and were the first to want to learn to ride and fight with dragons, this makes fifteen now. He had 5 extra dragons he trusted so would have to find three more to get everyone a dragon. The five he had are all nadders, beside night furies they were his favorite dragon. Nadders are loyal, fast and very strong; he also thought they were very smart and adapted well to any situation.

He found out the boy Gwen had a contract with was on Berk still and she loves him. The contract was made when they were young but when the parents saw how well they got along, they told the kids about it before their sixteenth birthday and the kids have been openly in love since then instead of hiding their love before the announcement. Hiccup felt she was not telling the whole story but that was not an issue to deal with now.

Athena was not contracted to anyone but she wanted to be. Her best friend was also on Berk still and he was one who did not take well to stress and she has always been the one to bring him back down to earth. She was scared he would get upset and get himself killed by not following orders. She admitted she loves him and her mother, who was also there, promised she would not force her to marry anyone else if the boy was still alive.

"Astrid?" was heard being whispered out and she turned and saw the only girl she kind of trusted when she was on Berk, Ruffnut. She did not know why she did not see her last night when they arrived but maybe with the excitement she did not even think to find her friend. She also wondered why Ruffnut did not seek her out but she tried to shake it off.

"Do you forgive me for not trying to help you when Stoick abused you and held you captive? I am so sorry for failing you as a friend. I listened to everyone else who said you were the one who betrayed Hiccup and I should have known better. I am so …." She did not get a chance to finish because Astrid took her into a big hug.

Astrid and Ruffnut got caught up while Hiccup talked to the women who volunteered to be part of the mission to save the men. "I am joining too" and he turned and saw the familiar girl sitting next to Astrid. He smiled at her "Glad to have you aboard Ruffnut" and then he went to her and hugged her.

She was shocked how easy they let her get away all the wrong doings she did to both of them and was also confused. "How can you just hug me and smile at me when I did so much wrong to both of you?"

"Ruffnut let me tell you something I started to learn when I was six and Astrid has been learning since she came here." He went on to tell about Gertrude and all the events since then. How he prayed to the many gods Berkian's pray to and nothing but he prayed to one God and results. He tried to explain as much as he could and also told him the residents of Eden pray to only one God.

They all looked confused since they have prayed to all the gods since they were old enough to be allowed to pray but they listened to Hiccup continue.

"Our God has no age limits to praying, Hailey did our prayer last night thanking him for our food and providing us with protection. Funny thing is she also prayed for the safety of her grandma's and look what happen, you all showed up here."

Astrid and Hiccup's moms were with tears now and not sure what to think of their children going against the beliefs they have had for generations in the past.

"I will not make anyone worship the God I worship but I also will not hide it. I will pray before battles and also community meals. It is your choice to just hear words or to hear what I say in the name of God in your heart."

"Ruffnut we have learned to forgive and accept the weakness in people, we all have them no matter how strong we are on the outside. Astrid and I were married under the witness of God and we feel our marriage is strong because of this. We have accepted the love we have as a gift and God brought us through misunderstanding of what happened on Berk a few years ago."

As everyone listened, Hailey came into the circle of adults and climbed onto Astrid's lap. She kept looking at Ingrid, Astrid's mom and she did with fear. Ingrid got up and approached the girl but she pushed her body tighter to Astrid's and started to cry.

"Hailey, I am sorry for how we treated you on Berk. We were demanded to take you and it is not that we did not want you but we missed Astrid so much and the chief demanded we forget about her and to love you. We know we were not good parents but I hope it means something to you we kept you warm, fed you and gave you a place to sleep. We know beyond that we did nothing, please give me another chance."

Hailey looked up to Astrid and she nodded to the girl "I have forgiven my mother and I promise to always be your mom so that makes my mom your grandma and Hiccup's mom your grandma. Remember it is up to us to give people second chances." Hailey looked nervous but she got up and went over to Ingrid and did not hug her but put out her hand and spit on it, she then offered it to Ingrid who looked kind of disgusted since she tried to be a proper lady when she was not killing dragons but she surprised everyone and spit on her own hand and shook Hailey's.

Astrid looked over at Hiccup knowing exactly were Hailey learned this and gave him that 'I will talk to you later' look and he knew it. His body language showed a bit of fear but then he winked at her and she melted as she always did.

"Mom, Ingrid, Ruff, Gwen, Athena and the rest of you, sorry I do not know every ones names but will as you live her. Today we start two parts of our plans; first part is to build homes for each of you and when we get one done, we will fill that home and then as the next is built we divide it out until you all are comfortable with the living arrangements. Part two an equally important is to save the men of Berk and to do this all who volunteered to battle will need to have a dragon partner. All of you have seen Astrid and me with our dragons so we will bring them out for you to get used of being around a dragon. After that we will let out five nadders and between the dragons and you, matches will be made. If a dragon comes up to you and nuzzles against you, they have accepted you."

The first part of training is to get used to dragons, he called Toothless and Snowstorm and both dragons earned giggles from the tough Viking ladies. They played like overgrown cats and would almost purr when the women pet them or scratched the stomachs of the two furies. Valka secretly knew dragons were not what everyone thought and was excited she will be able to have her won dragon now.

"Mom, since we do not have enough nadders for everyone can you come with me? I have a surprise for you." Hiccup and Valka, along with Astrid walked to the stables and when he opened the door Valka jumped up and down, she saw the only dragon in the stable now, a Stormcutter. She used to tell storied about if she had a storm cutter and she designed an outfit she would wear with it. She never knew were that design went.

She turned to Hiccup and she saw in his hands the outfit she designed but it was made. "Welcome to the Guardian Dragons" She took the outfit and ran into an empty stall and put it on.

"No wonder you never came to bed last night, do not make a habit of it." He gave Astrid a kiss "not working" he kisses her again and then bent her over as he kissed her with deep passion before standing her up straight. "Closer but you can try harder later."

"Oh to be young and in love" they turned and saw a person they would not of recognized as Hiccup's mother if they had not given her the outfit.

Astrid went off to help the other ladies get paired up. She paired Gwen, Athena, Ingrid, Gwen's mom and Ruff first since she knew two of them, two begged to go first and Gwen's mom really liked her daughter's boyfriend and promised to help get them back.

All the new riders were on their dragons and in front of Hiccup, Astrid, Cami, Heather, and Athelias. Eret and Jerrod were on patrol and be back soon to help. He was just about to speak when Eret rushed over on his dragon. "Hiccup, small boat with five men in it, Berk Crest on the sail"

 **A lesson we learn in life is to forgive and determine what we hang onto as far as anger and hurt. I have found most time that the anger I hold towards someone is not acknowledged by them or is a misunderstanding. Seems the longer we hang onto the anger the more we seem to get to us and it builds. Jesus asks of us to love our enemy as we love ourselves. Does not mean we become best friends with them but also do not hold any hatred towards them.**

 **I am against all sins, some I am part of myself and battle daily and only by the grace of God and the death and resurrection of Jesus can I live. I am reminded to hate the sin but love the sinner. I have relatives who have chosen a lifestyle of gay and lesbian and as much as I am against it and hate that lifestyle, I still love them. If I did not I would be a hypocrite because I am divorced and also have lied, hated and many of the other things Jesus told his disciples are sins. If I am to hate others for their sins and expect to be loved myself, I am putting myself above them and I am not above others.**

 **Next chapter we will finish the training, meet the new comers who you can probably guess who they are and work out way get the people of Berk free. This will be the last of Berk in the story because all who will be part of the story will move to Eden or they will live elsewhere. God Bless and love to all.**


	5. Taking Berk Back

**Taking Berk Back**

 _All the new riders were on their dragons and in front of Hiccup, Astrid, Cami, Heather, and Athelias. Eret and Jerrod were on patrol and be back soon to help. He was just about to speak when Eret rushed over on his dragon. "Hiccup, small boat with five men in it, Berk Crest on the sail"_

 **Guest or Friends**

Hiccup was pretty sure who this was but caution still needed to be taken. It could be some Romans who found a map and decided to come in and trick them. He went to the lookout and he was joined by Astrid, Ruffnut, Gwen and Athena. He looked and as the smile on his face grew, the excitement of the girls grew. He handed the looking glass to Ruffnut and she handed it back and ran off, the same for Gwen and Athena.

"I think we have some happy girls." He said to Astrid.

"Good, I know this girl is always happy" she said but her hand was on her stomach because she did not feel much better today. Food did not taste good and her energy was low. She was not throwing up or achy at all so she did not think she had stomach illness, or the flu.

He took her hand and Astrid followed her husband as they approached the doc and saw three sets of hugging people. Ruffnut introduced Jacob and Josiah to Hiccup and Astrid remember the boys from when she lived there. The other was of course Tuffnut and the two other boys were Sampson and Thorburg, both fourteen year old boys who looked aged beyond their years.

"Ruffnut, can they all stay with you until we get the arrangements made?" She nodded and all were about to move to the Great Hall but Jacob and Gwen stopped him.

 **Marriage**

"Sir, I ask your permission to marry us. We made a mistake and let our desires take over us a couple months ago and Gwen is now with my child and I want to do what is right for her."

"I will but to let you know, Gwen already knows this, we are married hear under the One God who created all and not the gods of Berk."

Jacob smiled "If you remember, I am not originally from Berk and my parents' hid it well but we are Christian's. I never told anyone, even Gwen because of Stoick one time killing a man who asked about other gods. I feared for my life and my family's life that we too would be persecuted for believing in the one true God." He reached into his pack and handed a book to Hiccup.

"I do not know if you have this book or know of the book but it is God's word in writing, it is called the Bible and I read it any chance I get it. I silently prated the whole way here and a couple times when trouble approached us I prayed out loud and God answered. Hiccup, I converted Tuffnut, Josiah, Sampson and Thorburg to Christianity on the journey here, they believe through the answer of prayer of God."

"Teach me Jacob" and he looked over at the love of his life.

"I learned from this book to love Gwen as my equal and not as a possession like the men of Berk believe. I learned that God is forgiving but also he is one who will judge us on the day His Son returns and places judgment on earth. Hiccup, I feel guilt for hiding my love for God and I do not want to hide it anymore. I know I did wrong to Gwen by having sex with her before marriage and God has forgiven me but I cannot forgive myself until the day I take her hand in marriage and she takes mine."

"Gwen, do you want this too?" Hiccup asked her.

"Yes, I have wanted to marry Jacob since I was old enough to understand love. I do need to learn of this God and sorry he did not share this with me but I think he was protecting me since our former chief killed anyone who believed in a god other than traditional gods of Berk."

"Astrid, will you witness the union of hearts?" She nodded.

"Since I am not familiar with the Bible but feel the need to read out loud from it, tell me a verse you want to hear and I will use that verse for your vows of love to each other."

Jacob took the bible and he found immediately the verse he wanted, he showed it to Gwen who read to herself, smiled and then nodded, she was okay with it.

 _ **Matthew 19:4-6**_ _ESV_

 _He answered, "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together let not man separate."_

Hiccup read this and they both acknowledged they will live by these words and not let the temptations of man tear them apart.

 _Lord above, I pray for Jacob and Gwen to reconcile the sin they fight with and for them to know you have forgiven them. I thank you Lord for bringing the journey Astrid and I were planning brought here to Eden. Your love has been proven to me and now I will seek the answers from the Bible and also from this young man you have brought into our lives. I ask for blessing of this marriage and for everlasting love between Jacob and Gwen. Amen_

When Hiccup opened his eyes, he saw Astrid, Tuffnut, Josiah, Thorburg and Sampson also bowing in prayer. He looked past them and saw the ladies from Berk and some had tears, he was not sure from the wedding or from God. He will find out, none have run from Eden yet so he assumes they are at least curious.

 **Final Plans**

"I am sorry we cannot celebrate more but we have men to rescue and now that we have witnesses here to the Romans numbers, I need to create a war council and work out a plan. I ask the Astrid, Tuffnut, Ingrid, Valka and Jacob to join to form the first war council of Eden, in addition to the original guardians. Oh, but not Jacob tonight, we have one house completed and this house is yours and Gwen's, go and enjoy the reunion with your wife and find me tomorrow and I will update you. Tuffnut, Jacob, Sampson and Thorburg come with me."

"Astrid, can you meet with the guardians and war council and get as much information from your mom and my mom, we will be back soon."

Hiccup walked off with Tuffnut and the other boys.

"Hiccup, will you forgive me for the things I had done to you in the past. I am a sinner and the guilt on me has been relieved by God but I feel the need to ask for you forgiveness and make things right."

"I do and lets just be as best of friends as we can from this moment on and I will consider that the greatest payback."

Tuffnut smiled and then asked" where are we going?"

"I was told there is a pod of wild nadders that landed on the island, we are going to friend them and bring them back to make part of our army."

Tuffnut lost the smile and fear replaced him but he will put his trust in Hiccup.

"There they are" Hiccup called out and then put his hand up to have the four boys follow. The approach was very slow and cautious, the one who looked like led the other nadders, and twelve in all looked at Hiccup and what looked like a smile if dragons could smile. The very large nadder approached Hiccup as Hiccup continued to walk to the beautiful dragon.

"I have been waiting for you Hiccup, your God has instructed us to serve you and help you in this battle. We are at your service and the service of the rider you choose for us leader of the guardians."

Hiccup shook his head wondering if he was going crazy hearing the dragons but the leader then pushed his snout into Hiccups chest and purred.

Back at the growing village, Hiccup approached with the four men and the twelve nadders. "Everyone who does not have a dragon we have more now. Five of these nadders are reserved for Tuffnut and his group. I ask you Tuffnut to be commander of these four others and lead them in the upcoming battle." Tuffnut accepted and then he took the lead Nadder and Josiah, Thorburg and Sampson chose the ones they wanted, or the dragons chose them.

"Hiccup, Gwen and I can celebrate our wedding at a later date, she is already with child and the longer we delay the battle, the more fathers of these other kids could be killed." Jacob finished speaking and then a large roar could be heard, all looked up and a large Rumblehorn descended onto the island. The Rumblehorn walked up to Jacob "I chose you young one" and then pushed into Jacob's chest.

"Tuffnut, you will also be joined by Gwen and Athena who will fight alongside there men."

"Hiccup, I prefer if Gwen, since being with child does not go into battle. If anything happens to me I want my bloodline to continue through this child. I am an only child myself and this child and I do not make it, we are done."

"That conversation is between a man and his wife and not up to me to decide. I ask you to decide and let me know before dark tonight."

A few minutes later Jacob had his answer "Gwen is staying her but only if all the married women stay with her. She would not feel right and would also be lonely.

Most of the married women argued their husbands were on Berk and will go with. This meant only Astrid was a married woman with her husband not on Berk. "Astrid, please stay with me and we will work with the remaining women to keep Eden going and set up defenses in case something happens here. We will need to set up a medical room in case of any injured and I helped with this on Berk with Gothi was have some experience."

Astrid looked over at Hiccup and the look I his eyes were of joy if she stayed here. "I will but like you said we will be as much a part of this from here as they are in the battle."

Gwen smiled and then as she walked past Astrid "I felt like you do now the first couple days I was not getting my moon time."

Astrid thought about it and then it hit her, she was very regular with her timing and she should have got "it" already, maybe only three or four days late but she was never that late, could it be. She smiled and then her stomach churned again but she could handle it.

"Okay, anyone who is not going into battle meets with Astrid and Gwen. Anytime I am not here and Astrid is here, she is in charge being she is my wife and the person I trust most. If she is not able to assist you, go to one of the originals, Eret, Cami, Jerrod, Heather or Athelias. I trust them with my life and Eden."

Hiccup continued when he looked up and saw 15 riders and their dragons in front of him. He knew they were still outnumbered but he also felt the dragons were the same as ten warriors and this made the odds even. He told them of the plan and they would leave in three days. This gave them time to train on flying maneuvers and to work on battle tactic.

He encourages the women who stayed behind to make mask for each person and also leather armor. He knew there was stronger but some was better than nothing and these people were already willing to battle with no armor.

Everyone was really busy when he called Eret and Valka to his office, a spare room in his house he used to get away and think and plan whatever was on his mind. "Eret, I know my original group is so efficient with their attacks to I ask that each one of them team up with one or two of the women and train them and also protect them in battle." Eret nodded and then left after permission.

"Mom, I want you with me. I trust you and we will work as a team. We are going in first and will arrive two hours before light and sneak into the camp and release as many men as we can. I know this is dangerous but I made something to help us out" he showed her a shorter and thinner version of a blow gun. She looked it over and then looked at him in question.

"This gun can shoot the smaller, but still potent nadder needles. I have been collecting them since we are on the island and we have also made a belt to hold five of these each. We will go through the village strike down the guards. On this same belt, we can hold ten daggers each and give them to the ones we release. I hope the ones we release are good at throwing them to take our more guards. Eret and five others will be on call waiting to hear the whistle and when they do they will charge in."

"Once they engage more Romans. The rest will arrive and hope by then it is mostly a recovery mission."

Valka like the idea and was not scared for her own safety but for Hiccup. She knew he was much stronger now but he was still her little boy and he always will be. "I figured Astrid would feel better if my mother was with me and she knows a mother will always protect if it came right down to it." She nodded and wondered how he thought this with all the times she failed him.

 **The Attack**

Three mornings later, Astrid woke to an empty bed. She knew today was the day of the attack and these thoughts, along with thinking what was going on inside of her made for sleep to not come easy. She figured Hiccup was getting ready early and would go to find Hiccup. She knew of the plan but surely he would say good bye before he left.

As she left the house, she was greeted by the man she was looking for. Her heart still jumped each morning when she first set eyes upon him as if it was the first time she has ever seen him and likes what she sees.

"Astrid, it is not even three in the morning, why up so early? I was just on my way to give you a kiss and then take off."

"Hiccup, come with me quick" she grabbed him and dragged him to their room.

Valka was waiting and wondered why Hiccup was 15 minutes late. She then spotted him as he left his house. She saw the look on his face and she smirked. "I take it Astrid needed to say good bye property." He just smiled and shook his head before they lifted off.

Astrid normally loved to stay in bed and enjoy the afterglow of making love to her husband but today she could not settle down. She heard the rest of the village waking earlier than normal. She put on her robe and stood at her door watching the activity of Eret, Cami, Jerrod, Heather and three other women loading up there dragons.

At first Hiccup wanted only three of them but understood the two couples did not want to be separated. She also notices Tuffnut, Ruffnut, and the four boys loading up along with Jerrod and the remaining women. She could not help notice one girl following him pretty close and he did not mind. He helped her onto her dragon but the rest of the women had to mount with no help.

"That is Shauna; she was the one they said was more like you than any other female on Berk. She came here with her family a few years ago and she is a very nice person. I trust her with Jerrod if you are worried."

"I guess today I am worried about everything."

"Get dressed, I said my goodbyes to Jacob and now I am hungry. I will cook you some foods I tried and some worked. You cannot be hungry and carry the heir to this wonderful village." Astrid smiled at how sincere she was in her voice and followed her suggestion.

The second wave of Eret and his group left and a few minutes later Tuffnut and crew left. The island felt empty with 16 people and 16 dragons gone. She finished making her way to Gwen's and as she approached the house, she heard sobbing.

"Gwen, are you okay?"

"Sorry, just had a moment to myself and had time to become scared for Jacob and everyone else. I hate war and cannot figure why men cannot get along."

"Not all men are bad, look at the two great men we have who are willing to risk their lives for others who might be dead by now."

This silenced both of them thinking of what the Guardian Dragons were flying into.

Hiccup and Valka landed on the small island a short distance from Berk. The landed on the side away from Berk and then moved to the side facing them. They could see the men of Rome on the shore but had to take the chances. Hiccup entered the water first and then Valka, the water was cold and the slight breeze made for small waves. This was good to help make for cover as they swam.

It took about 30 minutes to get close enough to shoot a few spines. These spines were potent enough to take down a nadder so a properly placed spine in the neck would first paralyze the vocal cords and eventually the whole man before death took him over.

Hiccup fired first and then Valka and the couple days of practice paid off., both hit their marks. The two men fell without making any noise and this opened up a small trail but they need to widen it for the next group to come in. Hiccup swam slowly to his left and Valka to her right. They both took out two more targets.

They now had plenty of space to move ashore and start phase two, the rescue. They learned that it was common for Romans to be scattered all over so they had to be careful to not alert any of them. Eret informed them the warriors are stationed and not on patrol so no one would find out they are missing until the guard switches over. The guard just switched so they have two hours to get going.

While Hiccup and Valka approached the middle of Berk, the other two patrols of Guardian Dragons arrived. Tuffnut and each one of his crew were pulling a small boat that can fit ten people each. If they needed they will put some on dragons but sadly they did not think they would need this.

The two secondary patrols waited patiently for the signal as they wondered how it was going on Berk. Hiccup left the looking glass were he said he would and he spied the six Romans that have been taken out. He smiled to himself knowing his chief and friend is successful so far. He turned to one of the messenger ladies, one of two they brought with and will stay on this island.

"Send the message first phase done with success" and she released the first of the four terrors she had with. The mission was four phases long but once the terror reached one of the messengers on Eden, she is to confirm receiving the message, give an update of Eden and send it back.

The second messenger will not be so lucky to stay on the island, she will go with and from there she will send updates to the one on the tiny island. The one on the tiny island will send that message on to Eden and so on. This was an idea set up by Hiccup to calm the women of Eden and not have to wait until the return. They will also send a terror once they start sending men back and the status of the men so the medical team can be prepared.

 **Eden**

Astrid and Gwen were gathering furs and water from each of the remaining women. The children acted as runners and a few of them made friends with the many baby nadders running around. This was comfort because even a baby nadder would protect a child against a wild boar or other smaller dragons.

A short bout stout lady approached the medical shelter. "Phase one is done with success, no further update. Please give me order of what to report back your chieftess." Astrid was not used to these formalities yet but she respected the kindness and respect the woman was showing her.

"Report back the women on Eden are ready for the return of their men. All medical is ready and being stocked. Children gathering herbs and the women gathering dried meet and putting in the main hall to feed those returning." The woman bowed again and then ran off to send the message via terror mail.

"Gwen, I am not sure I will ever be used to the formalities of being the chief's wife. All the people who came after me treat Hiccup and I like this but the originals treat us like normal people. Not sure if I have the right to tell them otherwise."

"I do not know either but I will not stop bowing until I receive order to treat you different." Gwenn said and then bowed to Astrid with a silly grin.

'Oh stop it, that is an order" and both girls laughed.

Astrid might be three years older than Gwen but the friendship is one both needed from each other. Both were pregnant, no one knew beside Gwen of Astrid's regency but Astrid was glad to have one who was about a month ahead of her to share everything with.

 **Back On Berk**

Hiccup and Valka had not taken out more romans than they could count and so far no confrontation. Hiccup looked upward _Thank you Lord for the protection. I sense your guidance and will go at the pace I feel you want me and will lead as only you can let me lead. I do not want to cast judgement on these men if I do want to and will leave the judgement to you. I know my mom and I have killed and want to kill no more. Amen_

Valka looked at her son "You really trust in this God don't you" he nodded and was about to answer when in front of them they noticed a soft glow.

"We must follow the glow" he got up and Valka was going to protest but that did not matter.

They followed the glow and Hiccup turned to his mom, "Trust me" and she did.

They walked past two guards and the guards were alive but paid them no attention. The glow led them to a place known as the dungeons and the two walked right in. The entered the first level to see mostly boys but also a few girls who had really short hair. The romans must of captured them thinking they were boys.

The found a guard passed out, Hiccup took the keys and started to unlock the cages. The boys and girls filed out of the cages and were scared. Valka lifted her mask and then a few of the kids ran to hug her.

"Mom, give me your extra daggers and take these children out of here and to the boats. A terror is by the old great hall with a prepared not, tell it to go to Eret. Do not come back." She did not want to leave her son but many children, 13 in all relied on her right now and she would protect them. She left and did as told. She had tears in her eyes because they already had 11 children on Eden and now 13 more with very few adults.

Hiccup knew there was a basement so he found his way in the dark to the stairs. He wondered where the glow went but hoped it was guiding the children and his mom, he was right. He found the bottom of the stairs and a guard was down there protecting the cages. The doors had different locks so he would have to get that key. He loaded his blow gun and hit the guard in the neck.

His vocal cords were stopped but he also fell and knocked over a couple of buckets and the noise traveled out of the basement window, the alerted guards outside charged into the dungeon but Hiccup had enough time to open the first two cages, the second Gobber was in.

"Open the rest of the cages and give each man a dagger and also blow gun until they are gone." He then turned to the already down guard and grabbed one of the two swords for himself and gave the next one to a person he recognized immediately, Astrid's dad.

Hiccup could tell he was about to say something "We will talk later; let's get home to our wives."

The fighting was intense and with only two men armed with swords, the advantage was to the romans. Hiccup and men had their backs to a wall and some romans managed to throw daggers in the window until Hiccup managed to get one of the guard's shields and the person in back held it up to block any more thrown daggers.

The blow darts were gone and the fighting was too intense to stop and pick up any swords. Hiccup and Alston, Astrid's dad was tiring. _Give us strength and wisdom Lord_ was all Hiccup said and they had it. Not much more but they were able to push ahead just a few feet but that few feet allowed three more Berkians to pick up swords and then they move forward some more.

Eventually Hiccup and Alston moved behind some men to rest. Seems like the romans had endless men to battle and the quick count Hiccup took was nine men besides him. He was back in front in few minutes and he was not sure how long he would last.

"Men, my mom and I saved the children above so if we die, just now all of your children are safe, all but two of the children sent to my island earlier made it and all but four of the women. I have provided them housing, food and any medical attention they need to the best of our ability. Astrid is there now waiting the return of the children and any man who needs help. We mighty die but let's us revenge as many of the deaths of our fallen brothers we can.

All the men cheered. _Lord God, the God who has answered many of my prayers, I ask for guidance and strength for these men and for them to be returned to their families. Give me strength to protect them and also I ask for help in this situation we are in. We all want to return to our love ones but also willing to die for our fallen brothers and sisters. Amen_

Hiccup was surprised when a few of the men also said amen and moved to the front. "I am Jacob's father" I am his brother" "I am his uncle and we will fight in the name of God too." Hiccup looked at these three men, relatives of Jacob and saw they had no fear in them, the love of God was guiding them and if they die, it was in God's honor and God's will that they died.

"Let's fight for the honor of our fallen brothers and by the will of God" and this time every man cheered.

Hiccup charged forward with great will and strength and while he fought, he felt his heart tie to Astrid's "Please forgive me Astrid if I die today" he then felt the sword enter his side.

 **A/N 4/20/16** – Sometimes we think we have figured out how we are going to seek more answers from God and about God and those plans are changed. Hiccup and Astrid could have still gone on the journey and left Berk to defend themselves but the journey came to them, Jacob offered some answers or source to get answers.

We might have good intent on how to get answers but our plan sometimes does not follow the path that God has in place. Are you going to still follow your own plan or take the lead of God and follow what he has planned?

In life we are given many ups and downs, new life or death, happiness and pain and sometimes all of these and more can happen in a matter of a short time. Are you ready to take these challenges in life on? Learning God's word is a way for us to accept and work through the trials of life. I know my cliffhanger is not very nice to leave at but I promise to update Saturday or Sunday. Wife's birthday tomorrow so not going to spend time writing, at least not until after she goes to work, yep, she works on her birthday. She is a certified nursing assistant and the sick so not tend to wait for birthdays to be done.


	6. Fear and Joy

**Fear and Joy**

A/N: For those who had looked at the chapter outline on my profile page, it has changed. I never intended for Jacob to deliver a bible and also some answers about God. With his presence everything has changed and not sure now how I will go in the future. Seems when I write, God has me going I different direction than I planned. I like his direction so much better.

This next chapter is going to be sad but do not worry, I am not cruel enough to end it after this chapter. Some warning some events could trigger relapses of past hurt. I know writing this does for me as my wife and I went through it twice and both times hurt equally. We both did not deal with it and ended our marriage because we both turned to others in unhealthy ways (Emotionally). God is good though because a month after my divorce was official, I found God, remarried a God loving women six years later and adopted a beautiful little girl.

 **Sadness**

"Hiccuppppppppp" she yelled out as she clutched her stomach and collapsed to the ground. It was if she could feel his pain and knew something was wrong. Just a few seconds before that is was like she heard in her head 'Please forgive me if I die today" and then the pain hit her.

Gwen ran to her and kept yelling out "help, help the chieftess has collapsed." A few women entered and one gasped as the other took action. "Get her into bed, remove her clothes and wrap her in blankets. "What I wrong with her?" demanded Gwen to know.

"She is going into shock for some reason but what happened"

"I do not know, we were talking and all of suddenly she grabbed her stomach, yelled Hiccup and then collapsed in pain."

"You need to tell me the truth, is she pregnant."

"Yes, but only a few weeks. She thinks it was on their wedding night and that was the night they tried to rescue Berk the first time."

"The good news is if she is not very far along then very little damage will probably happen and she will be able to conceive again, the bad news is she will have to deal with the loss and have to tell Hiccup who is probably fighting for his life right now."

"Save Hiccup, someone save him, he got stabbed, save him" the unconscious Astrid started to yell. "Lord, do not let him die, take life from me and save Hiccup."

Both women looked at her like she was hallucinating and tried to comfort her. Astrid did not calm down and after an hour, they noticed some blood like she was having her period but heavier.

"Oh my" said the women, "I wish we had a healer here." Gwen could not hold it in longer and ran out to cry. She was not fearful of he own pregnancy but feared the affect this will have on the person she as coming closest too besides her husband.

 **Berk**

"Someone get him behind the line, put pressure on the wound and not let any romans through."

 _Lord of Hiccup, I never talked to you before but save this boy, save him for my daughter. I am willing to give my own life to save him. Please send us help and save us Hiccups Lord but mostly save him, save my son in law Lord. I trust you and I bow down to you and give my soul to you._

Alston started praying on Hiccup's behalf and then he ended praying his own prayer and dedicating his soul to God, the God of Hiccup and other men in his presence. He was in tears when he felt a hand on his shoulder and it was Jacob's father. "Look Alston, the Romans are retreating but I still hear a battle."

A few moments later Eret and Cami appeared at the top of the steps. He looked down and saw four men on the floor, alive but in bad shape. He then noticed the one in the worst shape, Hiccup. There were two men holding down the cloth and both men were shirtless as they gave the shirt on their backs to help this brave man who saved them all.

"Get away from that window and a body shield the downed men, "No one question who this person was giving out orders. They pulled the four down men away from the one small window and then covered them with their own bodies, Eret let out a shrilling yell and then the window was blasted away.

"Cami, you know how to fly toothless, get on him, go and get Astrid and bring her to the island." Cami left on toothless. Hiccup taught her and Heather how to fly him since toothless seemed to trust women more than men except Hiccup.

"What happened to the Roman's" Alston asked.

"Dead" the single word answer held much weight.

"We were waiting and it was taking too long so after the kids were sent off, we disobeyed orders and made a rear charge. I heard it in my heart we were needed."

"He saved all of us, he was the only one fighting beside me but he killed the guard by himself and took both of his swords and handed me one. He is so brave and he is my daughter's husband, please save him." Alston was in tears again but he did not care.

Eret now understood this was Astrid's father and treated him with the respect a chief's wife's father deserves. "Come with me and let me make sure you are okay."

"I am okay, what about Hiccup, we going to let him be down there with no help."

"The two men caring for him now will be replaced once the ones who can walk can get out of the way."

Eret walked over to a man about the same age as Hiccup and a girl also the same age and with black hair. He talked to them softly and both ran to their dragons and then down to the basement with their packs in hand.

"Do you have a healer?"

"Yes, she is in the hut high up on the mountain. The romans burnt her way to get down so we do not know if she is alive or not."

"Tuffnut, fly up and see if the healer is there, if she is bring her here, I do not care if you need to knock her out to get her here."

Tuffnut left and took him a couple minutes to find Gothi; she was alive but very weak. He gave her some of his water and a piece of dried meet. "Hiccup has been stabbed after he saved all the children and nine men. He is losing a lot of blood and we cannot stop it with pressure on the wound."

She grabbed her satchel and looked at Tuff, "Let's go" he paused for he never heard her talk before.

"You can talk?"

"Yes, now you shut up or his death will be on your hands." He shut up, lifted the old woman on top of his nadder and took off for the coupe minute flight to Hiccup.

"Get out of my way" the healer yelled at the men "yes I can talk but worry about it later or his death will be no your hands."

"Save the baby, no Astrid, do not lose the baby, save the baby and let me go." Hiccup was talking in his unconscious state. No one there knew what he was talking about, baby?

Gothi took out some powder, put it on the sore and then lit it. The flame reeked of burnt flesh and after his screaming stopped, all noticed the bleeding has stopped. "Get him out side and to my hut now."

Eret picked up Hiccup, walked up the stairs and handed him to Tuff who already mounted his dragon, he took off and Eret followed. He turned back at the last minute to look at Heather who was crying. "Lead the men to the boats and get them to Eden" he then went after Tuff.

Eret did not see Jerrod there but Jerrod heard him. He went to Heather and when she saw him, she was not longer this tough warrior but a woman afraid she might lose the man who saved her life almost two years ago.

Jerrod ordered the women who were with and also had tears in their eyes help the men to the boats and then he sent them off. Just as he cleared the boats away from the shore he saw Cami approaching but not with Astrid, Valka was with her.

"Heather, go to that boat and get Ingrid to fly home now, they think Astrid might have been pregnant and if she is she might be in the process of losing the baby. She collapsed and started to monthly bleed but Gwen said she is a few weeks pregnant. She keeps yelling to save Hiccup and take the life in her instead."

Eret told them Hiccup is with Gothi at her hut and the two women flew off. Valka was being tough but lost it when Cami looked back "Crying is not weak, it is strength and Valka let it out."

When they got to the hut, they heard Hiccup screaming and Valka rushed to his side. Tuff was on top of him holding him down as Gothi removed the power and then wrapped him tight to stop the bleeding that started again.

"Valka, he has lost much blood and I am afraid it will take a miracle to save him. His body seems to have lost the will to live. Something about he is willing to die and let his baby live, what baby?"

"Astrid collapsed an she kept yelling to save hiccup and take the life in her to save hiccup and then she collapsed and started to bleed like a monthly bleed but really heavy."

"Stay with Hiccup and make sure he stays still, any movement will cause more bleeding and he will die"

Tuff lay on top of Hiccup and held him still, not something he ever imagined doing but this was the right thing to do. Valka put a blanket over the two of them to keep from shock setting in on her son. "Thank you Tuff, I know this is not easy for you" he did not answer but just kept doing his jobs the best he could.

 **Eden**

"Where is Hiccup, why is no one answering me? The children, men and all of our women are back except Valka, Heather and Cami. I want answers" but her mom and the other women stayed quiet.

"I am the chief when he is not here and if I do not get answers I will start banishing people."

Her mother placed a hand on her and told her to lie down and rest. "I know I am not pregnant anymore so stop coddling me, I want to be with my husband." She got up, went to her own cleaning room and washed the blood from herself and changed her clothes. She left out the back of her house and called Snow Storm.

"I need you girl, Hiccup is hurt and no one will give me answers, are you strong enough to fly me to Berk and find Hiccup?" The albino fury nodded and lowered to let Astrid mount her.

An hour later she landed on Berk to the surprise of Eret, Cami and Heather. "Where is he?"

"Calm down Astrid"

"Do not ever tell a wife if a man who no one will give me answers on to calm down. If he is not able to talk, I am in charge and I will banish for withholding information." Eret pointed to Gothi's, she hopped on the worn out fury and made their way to the oversized hut.

She walked into the hut and she heard Hiccup's voice again "let me die and save the baby" she stopped. She never told him and no one here knows so how does he know?

"I am here Hiccup, I will protect you love" Valka and Tuff looked up in shock. "You can go Tuff and I thank you for your dedication to Hiccup and I. Valka, I want to be alone with my husband" she said with intense seriousness but not necessarily anger.

Tuffnut moved and Astrid replaced the spot he was in. She was lighter than Tuff but her whispering words to Hiccup calmed him more than the weight of a man on him. "Save the baby Astrid, she will someday rule in my place and be a better ruler than I ever was." He sounded like his mind was clear that way he spoke with confidence.

"I will not let go and the baby is already gone Hiccup, sorry I never told you but it was only a few weeks old and mom said this should not hurt us from having other children so get better so you can continue your manly duties and help us have a baby." She talked with confidence for her sake but inside she was torn apart.

"You are not as tough as you sound you know," She looked down and his eyes were open, those beautiful green eyes she melts into.

"You smell so much better than Tuff does" and they both laughed but the laughter hurt his wound.

"How can you be so awake after all you went through? One man said you fought off the first twenty soldiers with the help of only one other man."

"Hey, I could not let my father in law fight better than me."

"Daddy, he is alive and you were fighting with Daddy?'

"Yes Astrid and as I was on the ground bleeding, he prayed, he prayed first to the Lord of Hiccup but he ended the prayer praying directly to him for me and you and he gave his soul and dedicated this life to Christ. He is a believer now Astrid, it was so amazing to see even if I was bleeding to death."

Astrid nestled beside Hiccup on the bed and let the weight that was on her let go and she could finally take a deep breath. "Hiccup, I am not sure I am a good wife to the chief."

"Why?"

"I kind of threatened a few people as acting Chief to banish them if they did not give me answers and I think everyone is scared of me now." Hiccup laughed and then coughed in pain.

"Do not make me laugh Astrid" but he smiled at her.

"I am being serious, my mom and then Eret would not tell me what was going on when they knew so I threatened the n and then they crowed like a rooster on a clear morning." Hiccup laughed some more but tried not to.

"Do you know how cute you look right now?"

"Are you mocking me?"

"Never, especially since I am bed ridden to you are acting chief and you might banish me."

"Don't you forget it and as wife I can also refrain from certain activities" Hiccup thought for a second and then his eyes opened widely. "I will talk to everyone when I get better" and he was really serious now. She smiled knowing she won and was proud of herself.

She as snuggling into Hiccup when she was awoken by and old lady, she looked closer and it was Gothi who was shoving a drink into her hand, "Drink this" the healer demanded.

Astrid wondered what the lady was up to but she put the drink to her mouth and as soon as it reached her tongue, she spit it out and threw up. "What was that and why did it make me sick?" Goth was smiling and hugged the girl.

"You did not lose the baby" and then walked out the door.

A/N 4/20/16 Somehow this one just flowed out of me before the church plans I have tonight. All I am going to say for this note All things are possible through God, now do you believe in this and have faith he can do anything if he wants to.

Amen and love to all, Michael


	7. Together

**Together**

Thank you to the reviews, favorite's, followers and readers. Your interest in the story and more important God and His word warms my heart

I have a challenge/request. After rescuing everyone from Berk and the women who came to Eden from Berk, I have a lot of unnamed people. I have 9 unnamed female children, 15 unnamed male children, and for the adults, let start with the father, uncle and brother of Jacob, along with Jacob's mom, aunt and female cousin who will be 18, I have a part in the story for the cousin. If you want to put into a review a name, a job they will do on the island and also the dragon they will ride. I also feel that not everyone is going to be a believer in the island so put if they are a believer. I tend to think all of Jacob's family is but you never know.

We also have 3 adult woman and 4 adult men unnamed who are not relatives of Jacob. Same for them, name, occupation on Eden and dragon they will ride. These two need to be either believers or non-believers. Believers besides Jacob's family will take time but will come around with the help of Hiccup, Jacob and his family.

For the children, name, age and dragon type they will have if they are over 5 to 9, prefer a younger dragon like hatchling for the younger children but older dragon for kids older such as 10 to 15. Anyone 16 and over is considered an adult on Eden.

Last chapter we left Astrid and Hiccup after they received the news they did not lose the baby. I am basing a lot of this off of experience I had with my wife when we had some close calls but all came out good in the end. Scary times but ended with joy and a fabulous son who is God loving and training to serve as a soldier in the US Marines.

This chapter will be mostly Astrid and Hiccup. Hailey is more comfortable with her grandma's and this gives Astrid and Hiccup some time away to study the bible and also learn more about each other. Some romance and sappiness between them as they get to express themselves do not worry, rated T.

Again help with the names and if you want in the review, tell me an important bible verse in your walk with Christ and why. I will share mine in a later chapter.

 **Eden**

Hiccup, Astrid and Gothi have returned to Eden and when they landed, a loud cheer was heard. Hiccup did not realize how many people were part of Eden now and also surprised to see six new homes built. Seems Gobber, Alston and the other men and older boys took it upon themselves to approach Eret and ask if they had a plan for homes and Eret knew they did. He found it in Hiccup's office and the men went to work.

Astrid went home almost right away and went to bed; she was exhausted and full of fear about almost losing the baby. Gwen followed her and when they were behind the closed doors, Astrid shared the news with her. Both girls were excited and talked briefly before Astrid had to get some rest.

Hiccup met with Eret, Jerrod, Cami, Heather, and Athelias to discuss the expansion of the village and what will be needed. Hiccup was still recovering but the week in Berk helped him rest, that could not be said for Astrid since she worried and did not sleep much.

Alston and Eret stayed for a couple days to "take care" of the remaining romans, no one asked what happened to them. Eret promised they would not kill them so the assumption was they were tied to a boat and pulled by dragon on the opposite direction of Eden and the let go free.

The first house completed was for Ingrid and Alston since they are married, the second and third were for Jacob's father and uncle and their spouses. The remaining houses and some tents occupied the others and it was very crowded. Building homes was first priority to Hiccup but Jacob corrected him. "Hiccup, we need a place to worship God, a place we can go and sit in peace and enjoy the Word with Him and also a place believers can worship together at least once per week. I am willing to lead the worship if we have a place. Nothing fancy is needed but a place we can call our own with God is what is important."

Hiccup looked over the layout of the island and noticed a place that can be reached by foot and also enough room to build and land dragons too. He walked to this place with Jacob and a plan was set in place. "Hiccup, you told me that when you were six Astrid's cousin started you thinking about God, we also need that for the children here. I suggest we have a place of worship for the adults and one for the children but under the same roof."

"I leave the building to you Jacob, take the men you came to the island with and only believers will build the place of worship and build it with the love of God."

The building of the church started the next day and it took many weeks to finish but it was beautiful and the few believers who were on the island were excited to have a place for them to be with each other and worship God.

After being back on Eden for a week, Astrid was itching for alone time with Hiccup. He was recovered now and she was feeling better but the island seemed crowded to her. She loves everyone there but when they were going to travel and seek answers about God, she also wanted that time to get closer to Hiccup.

That evening, after they enjoyed some coupe time for the first time since before the battle on Berk, she asked Hiccup if they can get away. He liked the idea but he also worried about all the homes needing to be finished, the church, food supply, weapons and all the other task of the island.

"I suggest we get away first and leave Eret in overall charge, Jacob is taking care of the church, Gobber had the new forge in working order with two boys learning his skill, Gothi is taking care of the sick, Cami and Heather are training the dragon riders, your mom and my mom are watching the younger kids with the help of a few of the girls that are almost adults, Ruffnut and Tuffnut have taken an interest in the gardens and recruited a few to help and my dad and Jacob's dad both had ship building experience so they are repairing the few ships we took from the romans and converting them into fishing vessels."

Hiccup listened to all she listed off and was amazed how much others have stepped up to help on the island. "I guess I am not needed here then" he half joked.

"You are always needed my love, you are the glue and all these things that are being done came from the brilliant brain of yours. Eret found so many plans you had when we were on Berk for you to recover and he put them into use. It is your ideas that have made all of this, now it is time you trust others to finish what you imagined for Eden."

He was not sure how much of that was true and how much was just to make him feel better but it worked. "So when do you want to leave?"

"Now if that is not too soon" she smiled her pretty smile and he wished he could grant her the request but he needed to meet with his council which consisted of original five plus him and he added Valka too. Astrid also was at all meetings being his wife and she was considered second in command. She did not have a vote unless Hiccup was not present.

He called them to meet and told them he wants to get some time to be alone with Astrid and to study the bible with her. They agreed and they voted on a one month vacation to travel, learn God's word and be together.

Astrid was so excited that she gave Hiccup a deeper than normal passionate kiss and did it in front of everyone. "Must be nice to be young" Valka said again and she loved to say it. She was happy her son found love in a strong woman like Astrid.

They set the date to leave for one week, Hiccup might be recovered enough to get around but he needed some time to build up stamina and he has not flown on Toothless that much. Hailey also needed time to get used of her mom and dad not being around. She knew her grandma's would watch over her but she was closer to Gwen for now so she will stay in her house with her and Jacob.

Hiccup made some final inspections of what was going on around the village and he could not be more pleased. He called a community meeting and made some announcements.

"I called everyone here to let you know Astrid and I am taking off for a month to have some time as a couple and also we are going to read the Bible, the word of God in writing. I leave Eret in charge and the council as the final decision makers on any issues that come up that require a hearing. I expect everyone to follow the lead of Eret and if he is not available, Cami is the one to go to. We leave in three days now and I will hold court two hours each day until we leave to hear any concerns and handle any pending issues already brought to my attention."

"I also have one terror with us and will only send a message in emergency but the messenger's from the Berk war are still on duty and forever will be. Eret and I have set up a currency using gold and those who have tasks for the council be paid a weekly wage. We also are in the process of setting up a market for villagers only. We are not at the point yet to feel safe enough to have strangers onto our island but Astrid and I will be seeking an island to hold a market on."

"We are also doing a fly over on Berk and if it looks safe, we will fly over on the way back. Once we determine if the land is safe now, we will claim Berk as s second territory, set-up better defenses and use it as a market place. No one will live on Berk again because not safe and the lands are not meant to support people. I want to harvest the land for market and will need a couple people to run that operation."

"If all is well in Eden, Astrid and I will take off in three days." Hiccup heard Astrid clear her voice and he knew what she wanted and he did not forget. "Any questions from anyone," there were none.

"Now for the important stuff, some of you might have heard rumors going around but today I am to verify even after a big scare, Astrid and I are expecting our second child in seven months. Second you ask, Hailey may not be of blood but we love her as our own and she has all the rights as the chief's daughter except to take over the village since this will go to the first blood heir."

A loud cheer was heard and many pat on the back for Hiccup and hugs for Astrid. She was excited and yet scared of her condition. She felt better now and her stomach, though not noticeable by most, was growing slightly. Her leggings were a little tighter and soon would not be able to wear them.

Astrid was now at home packing up last minute things when her mom and Valka came with a bag. "We know you are only going to be gone for a month but her are leggings that increase in size and should hold you through until the birth of our grandbaby." Ingrid said and Valka then gave her a smaller package. "This is some things that will give you energy. Some teas and spices to help you keep your energy during travels, Gothi approved them."

Three days later they left with the whole village sending them off with cheers and yells of good luck and have fun. They both new much fun will be had but also some nervousness in their search for more on God and what he means. They trust him and know he is the only one but they felt there had to be more.

They flew for a slow two hours and went over Berk. They saw no ships in the destroyed port, not one walking around the burnt down village and only a few sheep and yak not running wild. He knew this was not an emergency but he sent word to Eret to let him know some sheep and yak were still on Berk, a ship should be sent to get them and bring them back to Eden before the dragons got them.

Astrid smiled knowing her husband was still being acting chief like even when he was not on the village. She has learned to accept this but selfishly hoped he did not do too much while they traveled. She looked over at him and admired the man she was married to.

"Hiccup" she said and he looked over at her. "The first time I prayed to God, it was to thank him for you. I just wanted you to know that is how much I love you. I feel honored the creator of all felt me worthy of being with a man like you."

Hiccup smiled and told her he also thanks God for her and for the same reasons, they flew in silence as both thought about the month to come and the many years to come as they will always be as one and be together.

A/N 4/22/16 – I intended this one to be shorter to set up the next couple chapters of adventures. I will do a couple of switched back to Eden but mostly focus on Hiccup and Astrid and their journey for answers. Will the find them or is everything they need in their hands and back home in Eden. Read to find out.

Do you find yourself seeking more answers when it is not needed? Knowledge is wonderful and helpful but sometimes we beat ourselves up thinking something is too easy. God made it easy for us, John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (NIV). The verse does not say we need to believe in him and then do 1000 hours community service, save someone's life, bring 100 people to Christ and train them to bring 100. He does not give any condition besides believe in Christ His Son. Now what does it mean to believe. A believer does not just know who he is but knows what he stands for. This is why we need to ask for forgiveness and try to lead a good life. NONE of us are perfect and never will be but believing in Jesus with our heart God sees us as perfect through Jesus eyes, WHAT AN AMAZING GIFT.


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